Cothica Destino: Relaunched
by Feathersprite305
Summary: A destiny rewritten with a force that drives an outsider to the mysteries of a world not his own. Will our beloved Players survive the truth of the Cothica? Tom/Kaz, rewritten and re-released. (Several OCs included, sorry, but they seem to be liked)
1. Chapter 1: Welcome To Chaotic!

Let's retry this...

One  
Two  
Three

Let's get Chaotic.

Story

Restarto.

* * *

"Tom? Y-Your move, man." A smile quirked up his lips at hearing the stutter and hesitation in his opponents voice. It had gotten worse and worse as their match had worn on, and by now a crowd had been drawn, a few lingering very closely to him but keeping back respectfully.

After all, beyond being blind, Thomas Majors was one of the BEST Chaotic players in this entire school. And one was wise not to screw with the best of the best.

The electronic voice in his ears spoke, and by now the keyboard's bumps and dashes were a second English to him. Glazed blue eyes narrowed with a smirk taking over the smile. "Rock Wave!" A crackling boom, the sound effect of the game on the school's computer, and the opponent groaned in defeat and slumped in his chair, detectable only by the scraping of the chair. Cheering erupted around them for Tom's victory, and suddenly warm hands pulled Tom from his chair, an energized voice buzzing like a firecracker lit and thrown as Tom was pulled into a tight victory hug.

"Man Tom, you're so good at this! You're like, the Overworld spokes-champion or something!" Tom's best friend of who knows how long, Kazdan Kalinkas, was vibrating in excitement as he clung to Tom to keep the crowd from overwhelming him. What little Tom could remember of his friend's visage was orange fiery hair that had earned him the nickname 'Gremlin' as a child, and warm brown eyes that got sparkly when he was excited about something. Kaz was an excellent strategist, and Tom had relied on him for many years in both life and Chaotic. "A few more wins and you might even get a code to port to Chaotic!"

While several in the crowd groaned, Tom just smiled; he was so used to Kaz's extreme love of the game and the redhead's belief that he could transport himself into the game itself. The Asian boy didn't have the heart to tell Kaz he didn't believe, not when he'd put up with it for so many years, but he knew somehow Kaz would always know what was on his mind.

"Tom you have the 'Kaz-is-crazy' look on your face. Again." Case in point. Tom shook his head and held onto Kaz's arm as the redhead led him through the hall from the cafeteria to the science wing, the hallway smelling of cleaner and chemicals.

The Asian boy stretched his back, feeling a bit stiff from having played an entire ten round match. "Kazzy, even if they wanted to give me a code, I'm blind and my bio confirms that. It'd be useless." Kaz stopped with a jolt and Tom frowned, reaching for his friend's face to make Kaz look at him. "It's not that I don't want a code, Kaz. Or that I don't want to believe in this place being real. But I...I'd be kinda useless, and Chaotic's something I don't wanna ruin for ya."

"You wouldn't ruin it!" Kaz almost exploded, startling Tom. "It'd be even BETTER if you were there with me! Which is why I'm so mad that they haven't sent it to you yet! Ugh!" And Tom was squeezed tightly, Kaz hiding his face in his friend's shoulder."I want to play with you, it's not fair..."

Tom just held Kaz tightly back, until the redhead let go so they could walk to Tom's house together.

Chaotic, for the very few who don't know, is a card game in which creatures from a world called Perim battle each other. Abilities made possible by a power called 'mujic' can be played to have advantages, and battlegear cards can be equipped to give an extra edge over one's opponents. Each of the four tribes have their followings and fans, and each one exists for a different purpose; Overworlders, who rule the high mountains and skies; Underworlders, who have reign over the lava pits and valleys between; Mipedians, the desert scouring lizard folks; and Danians, the bug armies.

Supposedly, Perim is a very real place. As is Chaotic, the /true/ Chaotic. But for Tom, it was just a silly game he played with Kaz to whittle off time he'd otherwise spend moping about school.

At least, it /was/ just a game until the code arrived.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

It had been an hour since Tom had gotten home, greeted enthusiastically by his mother's bear hug hello. His room was messy, like any teenager's, but he could navigate it barring a few trips to and from bed. He threw himself onto the mattress, curling up for a few moments and sighing before drifting into a daydream.

_'If I could see...Does Kaz still look the same? Prolly not. I don't even known what my favorite Creatures look like. Or Perim. The location cards...Would it really be better for me to be there with him?'_ Tom tucked his arm under his head, eyes shut since opening them was useless anyway. A sudden beeping made him flinch, and his other arm dropped to the floor to search for his laptop, sliding it out and opening it to let it power on. The electronic monotone voice announced that MajorTom, his screen name in Chaotic, had one new Chaotic mail.

Which was impossible, because the game didn't _have_ mail. Tom frowned and hesitated before opening the mail. 'D-G-A-F-E-C-B' read the monotonous voice, making his frown deepen. His Scanner suddenly began to alarm, and Tom reached for it as it identified the caller as Kaz. "Tom! You won't believe the Scan I just got from-"

"Kaz I just got this weird email that's just a bunch of letters jumbled together. The system isn't bugged right now is it?" The astonished, then quite _GLEEFUL_ squeal that was Kaz's reaction gave Tom a sense of foreboding.

"Tom that's no junk mail! It's a code! You can port to Chaotic now!"

Tom's frown became a scowl and he squeezed his Scanner. "Kaz this isn't the time to be funny! What if this gives my computer a virus?!"

"Tom, just trust me on this, please! I'll be there for you, I always am!" With that, the Scanner beeped and went silent, meaning Kaz had ended the call. Tom hesitated for a very long moment, weighing the options; either Kaz was crazy, and he'd be mad at his best friend while his laptop got fixed for whatever virus this was...Or...

He slowly entered the code with trembling hands, feeling on edge. He had to take a steadying breath to calm himself enough, hesitating once more before pressing enter. He jolted as a shock ran through his body, leaving him tingling for a second before it faded off. Then...

Nothing?

Tom tapped his Scanner key and blinked when no noise emanated from it. He then tried his computer, which alerted him to the fact that his deck was locked down and couldn't be accessed. And attempting to redial Kaz proved useless as he didn't respond. "FuuuuUUUUUUCK! Kazdan! You so owe me a new computer!" Tom yelled, throwing his Scanner under his bed in anger.

But Tom in his room, rolling on his bed, had no idea what had truly just happened. As his Scanner lay on the floor, black screen and unresponsive, it betrayed nothing of the truth that was taking place even as Tom ate dinner, messed around, and finally showered to go to bed.

However, the other him certainly knew.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

The feeling of being flung through what felt like an electrically charged tunnel was NOT a sensation Tom enjoyed, especially given that it had been completely out of the blue. Being blind made it worse, because he couldn't tell what was happening, and he made a mental note to strangle Kaz if he got out of this alive.

Then his feet hit the ground(Was it the ground? It felt so hard and foreign like metal, not carpeted wood in his nice safe home) and he crumpled into a ball, shaken and terrified. A shout managed to get out as he breathed, but it was short-lived as the instinct to bawl took hold. A moment after he started to cry, Tom was aware of people, gathering around him.

PeytonicMaster, a rather friendly player, had just ported in when he noticed that a crowd was nearby, gathered around what had to be a newbie crying in fear or shock; it tended to be the general reaction with first-time porting. The poor boy had long black hair and tanned skin, and he was curled into a ball like he was trying to protect himself. As Peyton approached by slipping between the crowd, he mustered up as much good vibes as he could to try and put the poor guy at ease. "Hey there, bro! M'names Peyton, welcome ta Chaotic ma friend!"

It worked a little; the boy stopped in his crying long enough to lower his hands, face tinged red and shiny. Peyton knelt down and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder in a reassuring gesture. "Hey now, c'mon dude. What's yer name?"

"T-Tom. I'm...I'm MajorTom..." Tom sniffled and shivered, and Peyton frowned at just how /blue/ Tom's eyes were. "I-I have n-no idea what's g-going on..." Peyton waved his hand in front of Tom's face, eyes widening when Tom's didn't even seem to register the movement. "H-Hello? Are you still th-there?" Tom put his hands out, groping the air as he turned his head both ways.

"You're blind?" Peyton's question started up murmurs in the crowd, who he quickly decided was not going to help Tom. He picked the poor guy up and helped him to a table nearby, setting Tom down carefully in the seat. "How'd you get a code to port dude?!"

Tom's face crumpled again, and suddenly Peyton felt like a bucket of ooze for upsetting him. "I don't know! I don't know anything!"

"Easy there bro! It's alright! I'll take care o' ya!" Peyton pulled Tom into a friendly bear hug. Tom registered that Peyton smelled musty, like dirt and mud and sweat from running around a lot. He waved over a robot. "A box of tissues and a Junda Juice, please?" As the robot hurried off to obtain the request, Peyton patted Tom's back gently. "No worries, dude. First time porting's always the hardest. Especially for newbies."

"M-My friend Kazzy said he'd be here for m-me. When I, uh..." Tom made a gesture, and Peyton nodded, before mentally smacking himself and patted Tom on the back. "I only got my code a few minutes ago, actually..."

When Kaz finally located Tom, he was surprised to see him laughing with another Chaotic Player. He ran over, dodging a Player who tried to trip him, and crashed into the table with a sound 'THUD!' "TOMMY!" Tom had an owlish look of surprise, clutching a smoothie, while the other player was just smiling; most knew KidKhaor was a bit of an oddball, so they were used to him he supposed. "Tommy! Oh thank god you're alright!" He attempted to hug Tom, but felt his head go back as he was blocked with his bestie's hand.

"No thanks to you, ya jerk! What happened to 'I'll be there for you'?!"

Kaz squawked, flailing his hands as he tried to attach them around Tom's head. "You ported into the other terminal! I had to run the whole PortCourt to get to you!"

"Well you ran for no reason. I'm dumping you." Tom gestured to the player next to him. "Peyton is my new best friend."

Kaz gaped, even while Peyton started giggling. "W-WH-WHAT?!"

A few minutes of absolute angry silence from Tom, before he smirked and narrowly opened an eye. "Just kidding." He squawked in laughter as Kaz put him in a headlock, easily breaking out of it a moment later.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

A short time later, Tom was clinging to Kaz's arms, uneasy as they stood on a moving platform. It rumbled beneath his feet, making him jumpy, but Kaz had warned Tom that if he jumped off he'd have to find his way back on. The blind boy frowned, clinging harder as it shuddered a little, tugging on Kaz's shirt. "Kazzy, c'mooon! Where are we going?!"

"We're heading to the BattleDrome for your first match!" Came the excited response from his best friend. A sputter from Peyton prompted Kaz moving, and from the choking noise Tom surmised that Kaz had rammed his elbow into Peyton's stomach. Poor guy.

Didn't stop him from trying to speak, though. "Bu-BUT DUDE! How can he-?!"

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Kazzy, I really do, but there's a problem I think needs to be addressed, just a little one. See there's the first fact that I've never battled here, so not a lot of know-how, and the second part if it's possibly skipped your attention this past decade we spent together I'm kind of BLIND AS A BAT YOU DINGUS." Tom's voice rose comically as he stomped his foot.

Oh good lord, he could FEEL Kaz's smirk. "And that's where genius me comes into play." It was too good an opening, and Tom couldn't resist.

"Oh, so we've been with idiot you this entire time? That explains everything." The platform shuddered as Peyton fell on his side cackling.

Tom was still snickering to himself as his best friend recovered. "Har, har. No, Tom, I'm serious. I went through hell and high water to get this for you." The next moment Tom heard Kaz rummaging through his backpack, before the redhead made a noise of triumph.

"Dude, is that?" Peyton's awed voice gave way to a suspicious feeling, and it tripled in Tom as his face was suddenly yanked forward. Even with how often people touched his face while thinking they could getaway with it, it always startled him, and it was only thanks to years of knowing the feel of Kaz's light touches that Tom kept from throwing his friend over his shoulder.

"KAZDAN! You know how much I hate that!" The blind boy growled, Kaz ignoring the noise as he slid something heavy onto Tom's face. It sat on the top curves of his ears like a mask, but as Kaz pulled the left side lower, it registered that it was actually a pair of goggles. The eye pieces were ringed with something soft, like memory foam, and the sharp scent of metal caught Tom's interest.

"I had to go through a lot of missions, so the CodeMasters would agree to make you these." Kaz fiddled with something, and went reeling as a static shock zapped Tom's face, making his fist fly out in reaction. "Holy crap Tom! It isn't gonna kill you!"

"GodDAMN that HURT! KAZDAN, I'M GONNA KILL- you?" Tom's raised arm slowly fell back down with his jaw, wide baby blues blinking in confusion and disbelief. Not because Kazdan was a prize to look at (as though Tom'd ever admit something like THAT) but because...he was actually LOOKING at Kaz.

He had longer hair than what Tom remembered, dark orange with bright orange-yellow streaks and spiked up like he'd been electrocuted. His eyes were cocoa brown and even lighter behind pink tinted glasses, and the dark green shirt with a tan vest over it with even darker green pants made him look like a reversed carrot in Tom's opinion. Oh, and his entire outfit was covered in pockets (which did explain how up to this point Kaz somehow ALWAYS had everything Tom had ever needed, be it pencils, snacks, or even extra eyedrops).

"Hey, don'cha' want to see the guy who rescued you from bein' trampled back there?" Peyton's voice startled the no-longer blind boy, who turned with a jump upon remembering that he was with them.

Peyton had short dusty brown hair, and friendly big green eyes that made Tom think of a big puppy, especially with those chubby cheeks and giant friendly grin. He wore a yellow shirt under a green jacket trimmed in white and blue, and his dark grey trousers had streaks of dirt on them like Peyton had been running around someplace muddy. Which seemed out of place, giving how the boy looked rather heavy-set.

"How-How is this possible? Any of this?" Tom stuttered out, turning back to Kaz who shrugged with a grin.

"How do they get the cream into cupcakes? Don't over-think things, Tommy."

Tom's mouth opened and shut a few times, before- "Dude."

"I know." Kaz was grinning even with Peyton's look of confusion.

"DUDE."

"I KNOW."

"DUDE!"

Kaz was full out grinning now. "Tom you don't even say 'dude'!"

"I KNOW!" His friend flailed, almost smacking a robot in the face.

"MajorTom, you have a match in fifteen minutes, you don't have time for hysterical antics."

Tom gaped as it flew away, muttering a stunned 'Dude' as Kaz dragged him off the platform towards another one as Peyton waved them goodbye.

* * *

"So, how exactly is this going to work? I mean, my deck's locked." Tom asked as he studied himself in the restroom mirror. Preening had never been a concern of his, given that it was a useless endeavor without sight. His hair was long and black and shiny, and it somewhat stuck to his tawny colored face in bangs and odd spikes here and there.

"Oh no, I'm not telling you what to expect. You get a really funny look on your face when you're surprised." Kaz grinned as he watched his friend's actions; long had Tom been center of attention with his looks, but Kaz had never really known him to be an attention-hog. The Asian boy was careful with the hair-tie another player had given him after brushing out his hair. A little mousy brunette with big oval glasses, ChaoticCailey had been more than happy to help the two when they spotted her alone at a table.

"So, it's not anything like the actual game?" Tom asked, pulling his hair back into a ponytail. His attire was the same as always, a grey shirt with some odd four tipped circle in white, underneath which lay a black long sleeve. His jeans were light blue, faded from being out in the sun (unseeing didn't mean the sun wasn't warm on his face, that it didn't smell like heat and life when it had just rained). The goggles he could finally see, copper colored with a blue band. He adjusted the right one, watching in fascination as data staticked across the lens where his fingertip touched, his brightly blue eyes wide behind the goggles.

"These... really are cool. Thanks Kazzy-" Tom started to say, halting as Kaz suddenly had his arms around the other in a death-hold. Even though they were both seventeen, Tom was the taller of them both by two inches, allowing Kaz to be the one to bury his face in Tom's shoulder.

"I'm just glad that for once I didn't screw up." Tom immediately frowned and smacked his friend sharply on the back of the head. The redhead let out a cuss, 'Kazdan do you kiss your mother like that!', and stuck his middle finger up as he rubbed the sore spot.

"You are NOT a screw up. And don't ever say that sort of thing again, got it?" Kaz winced at Tom's tone, but nodded. Tom then stepped back and held Kaz's face in his hands, pulling his friend close to touch their foreheads together. A habit they'd always had, from being children no taller than a tire even before Tom's sight was gone.

"I mean it, Kaz. You're always there for me, but now that I can see, I'll do my best to do everything for you." Tom uttered, letting go of his friend to look at his Scanner. Seeing it made the weight seem to double, and Kaz copied the action with thoughts of his own.

"That day...Tom, I..."

"It's okay."

_A car, shiny and white until suddenly it wasn't._

"I...I didn't."

"It's okay."

_A little stuffed toy, green maybe? Big for a child, but really so small it could've gone un-noticed._

"I'm happy you kept on being my friend."

"I know."

_A loud noise, then nothing_.

Tom looked up at him. "Let's go."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

It was too surreal to Tom, being once again on the platform and watching others pass by on more platforms. The whole system was situated on a giant floating island, and the clear water that flowed through the canals underneath the platforms went right over the edges and disappeared into the blanket of fog surrounding Chaotic. It was like some secret place high above Earth, inaccessible unless you had the password.

"Alright, most people have a strong strategy to win in the Dromes, but because you're still getting your feet wet, I'd stick with your strongest cards for now, like Maxxor." He felt the platform jolt, and grabbed onto Kaz in alarm even though he could see.

"Um, what exactly is going to happen?" He grinned and pointed at his mouth. International code for 'I'm-being-an-obnoxious-person-because-it's-funny-to-see-you-flail-around', which Kaz loved to use on his best friend. He pushed Tom in front as they neared the Drome, which looked a lot like a giant blue M&amp;M candy with white skeletal fins on top; an interesting design, in Tom's opinion.

"This is the first Drome, or as we call it, the Crellan Drome. Your match is in here." Tom paled, and tried to shrink back against his best friend. He turned around just as they got to the door, which opened to reveal a bright light.

"Um, Kaz? I'm not so sure-" Tom began, cut off as Kaz raised his hand and waved it sharply.

"We'll talk later, after your match okay? I'll explain everything." Tom blinked, and smiled faintly as Kaz hugged him tightly. The feeling of gratitude disappeared as Kaz then let go and sent Tom tumbling into the Drome with a push.

"Ack! Jerk!" He spat as he rolled from his back onto his front and stood up. The area inside was actually pretty small and dark, a dim amount of light coming from the Chaotic symbol in the floor. He walked forward a bit, to try and see the other side of the room, and jumped at the sound of a loud siren, the Chaotic emblem appearing to rise and float in the middle of the room. It was a bit of a shock, but not as much when it started talking to him.

"WELCOME TO BATTLEDROME CRELLAN, TOM MAJORS, CHAOTIC CODENAME MAJORTOM. PLEASE STEP FORWARD." He hesitated before doing as it asked, and a small podium rose out of the ground.

"DOCK YOUR SCANNER." Tom did so, and jumped as he felt a powerful zap run up his arms. "Ow..." He jumped harder when a giant screen popped up, like the screen when they played online, only bigger and kind of transparent. Oh, and also the size of a movie theater screen.

"Sweet special effects." He gazed over the controls, and realized there were spinners on one side in different colors that spun up and down, and on the other side was a white spinner that went sideways.

It clicked in his head a second after seeing them. "It's like the online game." He murmured, reaching out and brushing the blue spinner. It began to scroll rapidly, and when Tom saw what it displayed he grinned. "There's my deck!" It slowed to a stop, and he put a hand on his hip, sweeping his hair back over his shoulder. "So who am I playing?"

Then the alarm that had sounded earlier rang again. Another boy, with black hair and glasses, stepped forward while the voice announced him. He had on a blue t-shirt with red sleeves and a pair of black pants, and had a bag strapped over his shoulder. He smiled at Tom in an odd way, making a shiver go down Tom's back.

"SAMUEL MURAKAMI, CHAOTIC CODENAME SAMSHADY. PLEASE STEP FORWARD AND DOCK YOUR SCANNER." Somehow, now that Tom was focused, the voice kinda sounded bored. Weird...

"First time?" He had a surprisingly friendly voice, though the un-nerving feeling only strengthened as he stared at Tom. The other Asian boy glanced away first, even though feeling that the action wasn't a smart idea.

"How'd you know?" Sam smirked at Tom's softly voiced question.

"You have this 'lost-puppy-dog' look on your face." That made Tom scowl at him. "But don't worry, I'll help you out." He now had a smile that heavily un-nerved Tom. "What's your tribe?"

Tom began to answer, when a voice like Kaz needled into the forefront of his head. 'Don't let your guard down, and don't tell anyone anything. Loose lips sink ships.' The oldest rules ofany battle or fight, and he shook his head with his lips pressed shut.

"Too bad." He said and began scrolling through his deck. Tom heard a sudden 'psst' and looked down at his scanner, where Kaz's face was displayed. Huh, so that was what a call on a Scanner looked like. The redhead smiled widely as he caught his friend's attention.

"Good job. Sam likes to trick people into giving him their decks." Tom smiled back and shook his head.

"Like I'd be that stupid after everything you taught me? So, what do I have to do?" Kaz craned his neck a little, and Tom's mouth wibbled in mirth as he realized Kaz was trying to do exactly what Sam had tried to.

"First, select your monster." That was an easy enough choice; Tom scrolled until he found his Maxxor card, which depicted a green skinned monster with purple markings up and down his arms and body, wearing a red tunic, with a fire in the background. Now that he could finally see, Tom felt a bitproud of utilizing such a strong Creature.

"Good choice buddy. Listen, cause this is important. Sam is just like me, which means he uses UnderWorld cards." Tom frowned a little; that meant most of his attacks... He gently tapped the scroller bar and moved through the battlegear option.

"Most of his attacks are fire-based. Then, I'll equip an AquaShield." Tom muttered as quietly as possible to Kaz, who nodded.

"Good move. And now, Mugic." The Asian boy closed his eyes, the momentary darkness giving him a chance to clear his head and think properly. Though having a Mujic in the same Element would be useful, strategy always called for using advantageous moves. In which case-

"Fortissimo." Kaz nodded so hard that he looked like a bobblehead as Tom's finger dragged the seven pointed circle icon over to the prep screen.

"Good, now pick your locations. Ten of them." Tom frowned in confusion. Ten? But, it was only one match, right? No matter, he supposed, shrugging as he picked ten from the white spinner. "If you're the attacker, the location comes from your deck, so you'll want to stack it to your advantage." OverWorld locations, then, and Tom had plenty. Finding them was easier than the others as he knew the cards by memory, and he finished by tapping on the glacier card he'd gotten from Kaz, and the screens in front of him and Sam suddenly disappeared. The mechanical voice rang out.

"LOCK YOUR DECKS." Tom muttered a small 'Here goes nothing' and pressed his palm flat against the scanner.

"BATTLEBOARD LOCKED. FIELD OF PLAY, REVEALED." The alarm rang out again, and Kaz spoke from the screen.

"That's my cue. You're on your own, man. Wait til you get to the cool part." Tom froze, then dropped his eyes down to meet Kaz.

"This...isn't the cool part? Kaz? Kaz!" He'd disappeared, the screen one dark.

"MAJORTOM, BECAUSE THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME HERE, YOU WILL BE THE ATTACKER. SPIN THE LOCATION RANDOMIZER." Tom shifted in nervous excitement and did so, and the cards spun quickly from one to another. Finally, it settled on the ice field he'd put in.

"GLACIER PLANES-" At this, he allowed a small whoop of victory even though the look Sam gave him made Tom's cheeks flush in embarrassment, "-NOW MAJORTOM, CHOOSE YOUR ATTACKING CREATURE, AND YOUR TARGET CREATURE." Only got one choice, he thought sarcastically. He tapped his hand on the screen that had reappeared.

"Maxxor attacks Takinom!"

* * *

Hmm...Let's see where things go from here.


	2. Chapter 2: Doomed in the Start!

Chapter  
Starto.

* * *

(Tom's P.O.V)

"VERY WELL. MAJORTOM, TOUCH YOUR MAXXOR CARD." I blinked. Well, okay? I reached out and let my fingertips skim the surface of the card, which felt almost like water. It shimmered, then disappeared, leaving a blue code that began to ravel around my arm with a loud computerized pinging noise. It felt so COLD!

"Oh SNAP!" I cried as the sensation wrapped around my shoulders, then the rest of me. I heard Sam say somewhere in the background, "Che, newbie..." as the digital pings grew louder. I cringed in pain; after all being blind for so long had made my hearing much stronger than normal, which made the noise hurt my ears more than usual.

It finally stopped and I opened my eyes, only...they weren't my eyes. My skin was not green, I was not buff, I didn't have fangs, and -looking down at myself- I did NOT wear a red dress! (Well except that one time but MOM MADE ME!)

"I-I'm MAXXOR?" My voice was much deeper, but it still had that shrill that mine had when I was upset about something. And this was DEFINITELY something to be upset about. I gazed in shock across the room, where Takinom now stood.

-Takinom is an UnderWorld type, which means she is fire and flying based. She has red skin, punctuated by yellow markings, and black wings extended from her back. She has bright violet colored eyes, and fangs that could rip warriors to shreds.-

I gaped as I realized that it was Sam I was looking at, when he/she opened his/her eyes. "Oh snap!" She/he laughed airily.

"This is going to be a BLAST." She crowed. I was sure that statement was owed to the freaked out expression I must have had on my face by now. Suddenly, a current of air picked up inside the Drome, blowing the black and white hair of my idol Creature in my face. The icon began to speak again.

"MAJORTOM AS MAXXOR VERSUS SAMSHADY AS TAKINOM AT GLACIER PLANES. LET THE BATTLE BEGIN." I gasped.

"You mean - we're supposed to-" I was cut off as Sam/Takinom (Okay confusing myself here) cracked her/his knuckles. _Ah, screw it, I'm just gonna call it a girl for now_, I thought agitatedly. I snapped out of it when the icon lit up harshly and suddenly, everything-

Was washed in white.

At first I thought I'd gone back to being blind, then I argued with my mind that if that were the case, everything would be black, not white. Then, my vision sharpened to picture perfect, and I saw the vast ice planes that had been chosen. I slapped Maxxor's hand over my face.

"I've finally gone as crazy as Kaz." I muttered. I lifted my foot, immediately regretting it as an icy chill ran under the hard but thin flesh. _C-Cold... _I thought as I wrapped my hands over my forearms, trying to get used to being over a hundred pounds heavier. _I feel like I'm in a giant mascot suit_, was my next thought.

"So, how do I?" I slipped, and just barely caught myself again before I almost went plunging down a sort of slide made of ice. I straightened before glancing around.

"Is anybody watching?" I remembered the giant screens back in the transport center.

* * *

"Hey, this guy's pretty level for a newbie." Someone remarked as a group of players watched Tom on screen. Kaz felt a bit of pride, _of course Tom has good balance, walking around not being able to see makes you quick and flexible_, he thought.

"C'mon Tom, you can do this!" He cheered, the others turning to him, then back to the screen to cheere as well. Kaz suddenly felt a hand drop onto his shoulder, and upon turning he found himself face to face with Peyton.

"Dude's first battle, like I'd miss it. Yer name's Kaz right? KidChaor?" Kaz nodded, smiling slightly, after all, Peyton had helped Tom when Kaz couldn't.

"And you're PeytonicMaster, right? Nice play." The larger boy grinned and scratched his brown hair a little.

"Yeah, well, better than MajorT's name. I sure hope he can pull this off." Kaz turned around worriedly.

_'I do too, Peyton. I do too...'_

Meanwhile, another player had also stopped to watch the newcomer. His greedy eyes raked over the screen, watching as Maxxor stomped through the snow.

"So, here's a newbie? He doesn't stand a chance goin' up against SamShady." He grinned, revealing a crooked smile.

* * *

Tom's P.O.V

I finally figured out how to move around as Maxxor, and leapt down into a trench for cover. Takinom was an avian-type, which meant Sam could attack from above. I pushed myself as far into the crevice as my bulk would go. I chanced a peek just outside the crack - and quickly ducked back in as Takinom let loose a volley of fireballs.

"I'm just getting warmed up!" She shouted. _Oh great, now we're doing fire jokes_, I thought sarcastically.

_'Alright, Takinom will use her flying abilities to keep an aerial advantage on me. Maybe if I...YES! That's it!_' I grinned, and launched my self out of the channel, rolling and ducking out of the path of her fireballs.

"You want the full Chaotic experience, right?" I winced as a fireball grazed my side, just barely licking me, but still enough contact to hurt like a-

"No thanks! Things are getting a bit...toasty for me!" I shouted back. _Keep your mouth shut, moron!_ my mind screamed as the volley got more violent. I jumped over a large crack in the ice and managed to turn around.

"I like to keep things cool, thanks." Okay, where had the smartass-ness come from? Takinom landed gracefully and opened her wings. Never a good sign from an UnderWorlder.

"This is REALLY COOL!" Takinom curled her wings, and her legs bent into a steady positon. Oh, snap...

"TORRENT OF FLAME!" A huge plume of fire shot into the air, then split into a group of firedarts, which began to circle me. I jumped down into another crevice.

It turned out to be a sort of hollowed-out slide, and I ducked as I flew out of the mouth, while the fireballs shot past me. I could see the ground, rising up to meet me, and bent my legs to land upright, not wanting a repeat of my previous porting experience. I straightened up, and began sprinting across the field, watching the sky and ground simultaneously for Takinom to appear.

I saw her suddenly swoop into the air, jeering at me to come out. That's when I saw a cave opening, just a few feet away. I dove from underneath the ice pillar I was hiding under, and made a mad dash for the cave. Unfortunately, Takinom spotted me, and threw a fireball at me, missing by a foot. A warning shot. I got into the mouth, and tried to breathe in, then, glancing behind me, ran farther into the cave. I slipped behind a pillar just as Takinom swooped in. I watched as she scanned the area, then darted for a tunnel. If she hadn't heard my footsteps, she most certainly could follow my rasping breathes, as I trekked farther in.

I picked up some snow, and as soon as she was within my sights, I lobbed it at the back of her head, gaping as it missed from her tilting her head. I grinned in embarrassment and waved at her even as she threw another fireball at me. I ran out, slipped, and fell/slid down the slope and landed hard on my ass, getting clomped on the head by a piece of packed ice.

* * *

Back in the court:

Kaz was gaping at the screen, his heart thudding in his ears. One wrong move after another... He waved over a robot.

"Chocolate milkshake." He glanced back at the screen. "Make it a double."

Peyton, however, was grinning ear to ear. Tom so far had kept his attention with how into the game he was getting.

* * *

(Tom's P.O.V)

I ran again, this time being stopped, not by Takinom, but by the sheer drop that faced me from the edge of the ice. I turned to see Takinom, hovering in the air above me.

"Er, don't suppose I could call time-out, could I?" I was on a smart-ass roll today, wasn't I? I looked back at the drop, as my foot pushed a small pile of snow over the edge.

"Game over Tom." Takinom's voice was pretty annoying, or maybe it was the fact that it was a guy using a female Creature to kick my ass. I turned back to her.

"Welcome - To CHAOTIC!" She said, then blowing a plume of fire at me, knocking me over the edge.

I screamed as I fell, the cold air slicing against me. I tried to twist around, and suddenly, it felt like another presence was there with me. Like, Maxxor was right there, telling me about-

"HU-RAH!" I cried as I grabbed the protruson from the ice, barely hanging on as my weight settled on it. I gasped as my stomach lurched.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

(Normal P.O.V.)"YES! That's it! That's what it's about!" Kaz cried triumphantly, as he watched Tom dangle from the icicle, unaware of the greasy blonde coming up behind him for a closer view.

"Feel your inner Maxxor!" The red-head was ecstatic, his friend was doing so well right now! Tapping into Maxxors power like that...

Impressive...

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

_'I...I didn't know there was a branch here. But Maxxor did_.' I thought as I clung tightly to the ice. I looked up and gaped. _'He also knows it isn't a branch at all!_' I wailed in my head, staring into the face of a giant mammoth skeleton, long buried in the ice. I shivered, not because of the cold.

Suddenly, another volley of firedarts rained down from above, and I craned my neck to see Takinom, blowing more plumes at me. I dodged by swinging back and forth, until - LAUNCH! - I threw myself at her, grabbing onto her leg, and making us fall.

"Let go, BONEHEAD! I can't fly like this!" She cried, blindly clawing at the air. I grinned.

"I know. You should let me fly for a while." My grin got bigger, and I reached out to grab her wing. I pulled down on it, and we swerved around crazily.

"I'm taking this in a new direction!" I crowed as we steered straight into the path of the glacier. Takinom hit the ice pillar, which shattered, and as we landed I let go, almost throwing her to the other side of the alcove. I managed to stay upright somehow, and skated a few feet, while Takinom slid across the floor gracelessly. She hopped up, damn!, and growled darkly at me.

I retaliated by powering up a favorite Mujic of mine. Blue lightning crackled between my hands, and Takinom gasped. I let loose the attack as soon as my energy hit its peak.

"Pebble STORM!" She avoided it by jumping up, and grinned at me.

"So, you're finally getting into character. Can't you do better than PEBBLES?" She taunted, and something inside me snapped.

"I've tried to hold this in. But you, sir/lady/it, have crossed the line!" I growled. I reared up into a straightened stance.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Kaz stared at the screen, gaping at Maxxor. "He...he doesn't mean-he wouldn't!"

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

"You cannot say anything, because you, sir, are a MAN IN A WOMAN'S BODY!(1)" I roared at Sam. Takinom froze, an incredulous look on her face.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

"Yes, yes he would..." Kaz muttered, clapping a hand over his face. All around him, Peyton and the other watchers burst into laughter.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

"You-you!" Takinom began to spit fire. I was inwardly laughing, until she burst into flames. _Oh crap_... I summoned another favorite of mine.

"ROCK WAVE!" A dozen pillars of ice and stone rose up from the ground where I struck, directed at Takinom. It struck, and Takinom was thrown back, the flames disappearing immediately.

"Best. Game. Ever." I grinned. Takinom recovered and rose up, creating more flames. "You wanted a fight? You're on, Takinom!" I crowed. I could see Takinom's face, but then, it sort of glitched, and instead I could see Sam's face. He didn't have that creepy look anymore, rather, he looked like he was...having fun? Takinom/Sam grinned.

"That's right, I'm on! On fire, Maxxor! And no one's ever survived my Torrent of Flames!" She conjured more fire, looking ore like a hell-bird than ever. I gulped, _oh yikes, I really made her mad...And no more spots to duck into. I still have my aquashield, oh no wait!_ I was struck by inspiration. _I have that mujic, and I'm betting that this as good a time as any to use it! Hope I picked the right one!_I thought as I activated the seven-sided ring of mujic.

A beautiful, almost catchy tune echoed throughout the area as I powered it up. "FORTISSIMO!" I shouted, "Supersize me!(2)" I felt a sort of warming sensation as I became larger, and when Takinom let loose her Torrent attack, it collided harmlessly with my chest. Though it did singe the dress a little (A/N: Maxxor: TUNIC!(gets hit by FS again) SHUT UP, I SAID!) I was not injured at all.

"That tickles." I said cheekily, and I reached out and grabbed Takinom from the air. She felt very fragile in my hand, almost like a bird, and I was afraid for a half second I might actually hurt Sam if I wasn't careful. That feeling quickly disappeared as I felt the Mujic begin to wear off. My eyes widened.

"Shit!" My cuss sounded so weird in Maxxor's voice, but I paid little heed as I spun several times, then threw Takinom against the wall. She screamed as she hit it, and exploded into blue code.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

"ALRIGHT!" Kaz cheered, along with all the other watchers. He suddenly turned to Peyton, and grabbed the larger boys arm in a celebratory hug! Peyton responded by lifting the thin red-head up, and spinning them around, colliding with a nearby robot.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Sam reappeared in the Drome, wiping his face sullenly. I reappeared a few seconds later, still as Maxxor, and I was too giddy to even move while the code reappeared and returned me to normal.

"Mark your calendar, Tom, because-" He was cut off by my sudden rant, and by me pushing myself uncomfortably close to him.

"OMIGOSH, thatwasthecoolestthingever-" I continued to speak rapidly until Sam threw a beanbag at my face, hitting me square in the eye. It plopped into my hands and I looked up at the now red-in-the-face Sam.

"Whatever! Weirdo!" But I saw him smile slightly as he exited the Drome. I looked closely at the beanbag, it was bright orange, with a zigzag of purple running around it, and it looked handmade. _Aw, shucks. He likes me_, I snickered in my head. I started as the pinging came back, though by now the noise barely bothered me. I walked out of the Drome, stowing the beanbag in my pocket.

Kaz was waiting for me outside, and when I spotted him, I ran over, picked him up, and swung him around excitedly. "Didja see? I was Maxxor, and I used Mujic, and Battle-Gear, and-" Kaz cut me off by 'gently' socking my arm, making me put him down. He grinned back.

"You totally wiped the floor with Sam! He never had a chance!" I squealed, overflowing with excited-ness and stuffs...Oh wow, I couldn't even make an intelligent thought.

"You're a natural!" Kaz crowed, and we pounded our fists together, saying "Dude." and chuckling afterward. I slowed to catch my breathe, and looked around happily.

"All this time, all your stories...They were real. All true..." I trailed off as I walked over to the railing, where I could all of Chaotic, including the other Dromes. Kaz came up beside me. "I could stay here forever." He nodded, still wearing a grin. "Shit! My mom! When she realizes I'm gone, she'll flip out!" I myself was freaking out, but Kaz didn't even seemed fazed.

"Don't worry, you're not gone." He soothed. I gaped at him, hoping my expression correctly displayed my feeling of 'best-friend-who's-a-red-head-say-WHUT?' He smiled. "You're still home, probably eating breakfast like any other morning." I felt my eye twitch.

"Um, maybe I got too hard in the Drome, but how can I be here and there?" Kaz puffed out his chest. Initiating nerd-mode, I thought exasperatingly.

"See, before you activate your code, there's just the you on Earth. But when you use it, there's the you that's here, rocking it in Chaotic, and the you chillin' at home." I scratched my head.

"Cream in a cupcake?" Kaz nodded.

"Cream in a cupcake."

"Anyway, when you want to go home, you just press the transport button right here." He pointed to the icon on the top on my scanner. I always thought it was for decoration. "Then the you back home presses the same button. Just try it, you'll see." I shrugged, and did just that.

And...

Nothing happened.

"Kaz..." Warning growl, and Kaz swiped at my scanner when I began pounding the button furiously.

"Chill. Your scanner's all good. This just means the you back home isn't answering." He began to walk away, and I stumbled after him. "Whenever you transport your code to Perim, your scanner on Earth seems dead. That's because the you in Chaotic has control of your deck, so that you can use it in the Drome battles." We walked up to a nice bench area, surrounded by tall bushes. "But on Earth, you can't access your online deck or anything." Here he laughed a bit. "A lot of players freak out when they think their scanners are broken."

"Hehe yeah. Knowing me, I'd tossed my scanner out in the trash if that happened." We tittered for a few more seconds, before Kaz spun around and grabbed my shoulders.

"THE TRASH? Tom, if you trashed your scanner on Earth, you'll never be able to go home!" I gaped, my jaw starting to hurt from all the faces I'd pulled today.

"You'll be stuck here...FOREVER!" Kaz cried as he shook me.

* * *

-ChaoticCailey, AKA Ruka Clemington, is a Mipedian supporter but plays water type Overworlders as her strength. She enjoys crafting and studies Mujic in Perim in the hopes that she can create jewelry from the patterns. She is 17 years old and on Earth, she enjoys seafood and playing with her army of ferrets named Trixie, Flora, Gabby, and Nora. In Chaotic she rescues Players from scamming and drives the robots crazy by ordering impossibly complex dishes.-

* * *

"Kuso, kuso, kuso, kuso!" I muttered, along with a few other curses that I can't repeat. I turned to look at Kaz, who was pacing back and forth. I growled, wishing for all the world to be able to hit something. "This is all you fault!"

He spun around and gaped at me. "MY FAULT? How's it my fault? Don't blame me cuz you thought I was a nutcase!" I stood up angrily.

"You are a nutcase!" He rounded on me.

"You take that back!" I flung my arms out to emphasize.

"Why should I? You can't take me back!" I slumped back onto the bench, feeling a slimy, cold feeling worming around in my gut. I curled up instinctively, feeling my face go red, and Kaz uncurled me in a hurry.

"Alright, just chill out for a second! I'll just transport home, go over to your house, explain what's happening, and if you threw out your scanner, we'll find it." He glanced back at me. My knees were still bent, but my face had cooled.

"Yeah, well, that may not work. I thought you were crazy, no way the me at home will believe anything you say about this whole... thing!" I now wished that I was back home, curled up nice and warm in bed. Kaz walked closer to me. He studied me closely, then suddenly brightened.

"Then I'll prove it to ya! Tell me a secret no one else knows about you, something you've never told anybody. And not some lame secret, like how you went to Ballet Camp that summer." I cringed. Sure, Kaz and I were best friends, there had been times where we had been apart and things had happened, but...

"Well...I don't know-" Kaz suddenly darted into my face.

"C'mon Tom. It has to be something no one knows, so that when I tell it to you back home you'll believe whatever I say." I whimpered, then leaned up and hesitantly told my best friend of over a decade my oldest, darkest secret ever. He shot back up when I was done.

"Uh, you...Really? That's...wow. That'll work." He looked back down at me, and I felt a part of me die a little. He smiled after a moment.

"Don't worry. Doesn't change a thing." I let out a breath of relief. He then got a mischievous look in his eyes.

"So, how did-" I cut him off annoyed.

"KAZ!" He threw his hands up, now holding his scanner.

"Alright, chill! You can trust me on this, I won't let you down!" He disappeared in the now familiar blue code. I sighed, turning my head to stare at the ground.

"I thought he forgot about Ballet Camp." I muttered. A shadow suddenly fell upon me, and a voice that made my skin crawl drifted towards me.

"Hey. You kicked SamShady to the curb." It was a tall blonde male, with magenta sunglasses like Kaz had. He wore a tan coat, along with black-grey pants, and he had his ears pierced, along with a goatee. I shivered in both fright and displaced mirth; goatees, the true essence of evil.

I stood up and brushed myself off. I smiled disarmingly. "Yeah, thanks." He reached out in a friendly manner.

"My name's Clayborn, but everyone knows me Clay." I grabbed his hand, shuddering at the slimy, hot feel of his skin. He smelled slightly of cigarettes.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Tom." He smiled, like the way Sam had first smiled at me, and it made my spine rattle.

"I know. MajorTom, but you don't look like someone who's just won his first Chaotic match." I turned around and picked up my scanner, pressing the button gently this time.

"I can't get home. I think I trashed my scanner on Earth." The red controller was suddenly snatched out of my hands, and I turned to see Clay examining it.

"A smart player like you?" _Grah, he's freaking me out_! I thought. He craned his neck to look at me. "I doubt that. The same thing happened to me once. I just had to reset my scanner." _Why does that sound like the most opposite of what I want to do_? He was skimming through my card scans. "Don' worry, I'll fix everything." I felt my eye twitch violently.

"Gee, thanks." Trying to sound as friendly as possible. I followed him towards the Port-Court.

* * *

On Earth:

I angrily clicked at my icons, snarling when the computer voice kept saying that my deck was locked. I was so mad at this point, if he even came near me at this point. A THUD! from downstairs told exactly what I needed, and I felt for the nearest object. I counted the thumps up the stairs, and heard the door open.

"Tom, you got your sight back because of magic goggles, and you had your first match in Chaotic, and you did awesome, and you need to hook up with your Perim self so you know I'm not wack, so where's your-" I cut him off by throwing my trash can at him, hearing a satisfying THUNK! as it collided with his head.

"ENOUGH!" I shouted at Kaz. I was steamed by now. I gestured to my laptop, which was repeating the standard 'Deck is locked' in every language Chaotic was played in.

"I don't want to hear another word about your adventures in loony land! I can't access my online deck, because I listened to you and entered that bogus password into my scanner." I heard him moving around, probably to shake off the trash can attack.

"That's what happens when you're in Chaotic. I mean, the other you, the one that's there now, waiting." I put my hand up in the obligatory, 'talk-2-da-hand-bitch' gesture.

"I'll only talk to the Kaz that lives in reality." Kaz put his hand on my shoulder.

"I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice Tom. You told me a secret in Chaotic, so that when I came to you, here, now, you'd believe what I have to say." I smiled cruelly.

"This'll be good." I muttered as I took out the earplugs connected to my laptop. Kaz leaned in, and gently whispered the one sentence I thought he would never utter.

"_I know about you being gay, Tom_." My jaw dropped into my lap, my body going into shock. I moved to where I thought I was staring him in the face.

"N-Nobody's supposed to know that. How'd you-" I mentally panicked. Kaz, meanwhile, was oddly unaffected.

"Yes! Feel that, that small glimmer of 'Maybe he's not crazy.' Now, hold onto that and give me your scanner." He was holding his hand out, I could tell. I reached over my desk, and felt around for the drawer. I heard my mom come in.

"Oh, Tom? I brought some snacks for you and Kaz." I nodded, feeling around for the familiar rectangular plastic.

"Huh? Where's my scanner?" I cried out, and Kaz gasped.

"Eh? Tommy, don't you remember? You were grumbling about it not working, so I threw it out." I paled, and I'm sure Kaz had too. We both got up, and Kaz cried out as the mechanical whir of the garbage truck sounded loudly. I felt ill at that moment, but before I could start feeling sorry for myself, Kaz grabbed my hand, shouted something akin to 'We'll be right back!' to my mom, and we were out the door.

* * *

"Okay, you're all set, MajorTom." Clay said as we neared the transporters. I still had that weird worm feeling, and it only intensified as I got onto the white space. I remembered the way I had ported in, zaps of energy over my body, the scared feeling...

"Sometimes, when you reset the scanner, its better to launch from the transport center." He handed my scanner back. "Helps with the lock." I smiled politely, now wishing doubly that I was back home.

"Thanks Clay. Good thing I ran into you. Maybe we can play Chaotic sometime." I offered, even if he was a creep, he was the creep who was about to help send me home. I pressed the icon, and the world proceeded to fade into blue around me.

"Somehow..." Clay replied slowly as he watched the last of MajorTom's code fade away, "I doubt that." He grinned evilly, then blinked as a voice called, "Hey YOU!" He turned around just in time to get punched in the face by the brunette who had brushed Tom's hair before his match. He slammed onto the floor, blooding leaking from his lips. His body twitched, and the girl reared her fist up in victory.

"THAT is what you get for being bad!"

* * *

"Finally, home sweet-CASTLE?" I blinked, gazing at a magnificent castle rising from the water. "Oh, SNAP!" I was standing at the edge of a giant lake, tall grass behind me, deep blue water lapping at my feet. I whimpered, curling down into ball. _Tricked...It figures_, my mind spat at me. _Kaz is the only one we can trust. Why would you even believe that Clay person. you don't know him!_

"Oh god...oh god..." I whimpered, as the water continued to lap at my shoes. I pulled the goggles off my face, momentarily plunging my sight into darkness. I wiped at my eyes, which starting to heat up, when suddenly the back of my shirt was pulled, and I was thrown to the ground. I curled up, my arms thrown up over the goggles and my face. A girl's voice suddenly hissed in my ear.

"Zip it, LOSER! I've been out here tracking Mezmar all night, I've had zero sleep, and I've got no patience for a scan hog!" I stayed quiet, hoping she'd go away. A rustle nearby, and she jumped off my chest. I got up, pulled the goggles back down, and pressed the tiny button, which let my sight flood the screen again.

The girl was in front of me, crouched like an animal. She had long blond hair, and was wearing a black and white top, with red pants. She crept forward and I followed silently.

"Wait I-" She made a shushing noise, and I nearly lost it there. A small sob did manage to sneak out, and she turned to me. Her eyes were green, and more vibrant than Peyton's. They narrowed in pity. Then she darted up, peering out into the gloom over the lake waters.

"I don't know what a Mezmar is, or how I'd scan it. I'm just trying to go home." She turned around. "See, this kid Clay was helping me and -" She cut me off with a snort.

"Clay? Clayborn doesn't help anyone but himself! What's your name?" She said extending a hand to help me up.

"Tom." She smiled at me.

"I'm Sarah." She had her scanner out now. "Welcome to the wilds of Perim. If you want to survive, stay quiet, and stay out of my way! I've got scanning to do!" She turned with a scowl, and I grinned. I could probably get along with this person... I followed after her.

Unbeknownst to either of us, a blue scaled face emerged from the water a few feet away. Green eyes, reptilian in shape, followed our movements along the bank.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere else!:

"In the name of Perim, and all that's Chaotic, STOP THAT JUNK!" Kaz cried as we chased after the garbage truck. I flinched as a banana peel smacked me in the face, and I stopped long enough to peel it off.

"Ugh, remind me how we're friends?" I muttered, as Kaz came back, grabbed my wrist again, and dashed away.

* * *

Sarah and I were standing on a sandbank, scouting the waters for Mezmar. It occurred to me that I still had no clue what Mezmar looked like, when Sarah began to speak.

"Clay's evil, but he doesn't pick on just anybody. If he messed with you after seeing your first match, he must think you're serious competition." She then noticed the goggles on my face. "What's with those things?" I adjusted the left.

"Well, see, on Earth, I'm actually blind." She gasped. "But I'm still a really good Chaotic player. So my friend Kaz asked these people called the 'CodeMasters' to make these goggles for me. Somehow, they let me see as clearly as any other person can." She looked impressed.

"So, if you take them off, you're blind like before?" I nodded. I pulled them off, and let her see the glazed over pupils of my eyes. Kaz once told me that looking at my eyes in full reminded him of looking at a piece of blue ice. Cold, unreachable, deep...I punched him, saying that I was the blind one, therefore, only I was allowed to be angsty.

I put the goggles back on, and jumped when I found Sarah closer to my face than I was comfortable with. "Sorry, I just wanted to see the goggles." She didn't take them off my face. "Hmm, these are definitely the work of CodeMaster Hotekk. He's the only one with skilled enough hands to work metal like this. Though, I bet it was Crellan who made the others pitch in. He's a real team player-type, you know?" I shrugged, not really getting it.

"Where are we? I know you said 'Perim', but where in Perim?" She held up her scanner again.

"You have a Lake Ken-i-po location card in your scanner deck, right?" I blinked. I wondered if I could pass for a half-owl by now.

"How did you know that?" She grinned, and I was somehow reminded of Kaz, when he got that geeky look in his eyes.

"Your 'friend' Clay set your scanner to transport you here. I'm sure he was hoping you'd never figure out how to transport back to Chaotic, so there'd be one less player who could beat him." I growled mentally, feeling anger well up in my stomach.

"That-that, dirty, rotten, son of a-" I was cut off by a loud gurgling noise coming from the lake. We fell silent as a giant mutant frog thing wallowed up from the water. Sarah gasped and pulled me back.

"Nauthalax! I bet he's on an UnderWorld spy mission." She suddenly started to crawl away. "C'mon!" I looked at her with an expression akin to 'woman-you-crazy-like-hell-i'm-goin-anywhere-near-there.' She pulled on my sleeve.

"How else am I going to scan him?" She dove back into the bushes. I rolled my eyes. _Why do I attract the crazy people?_

Nauthalax was pulling his bulk up the sand. His voice was gurgle-y, and reminded me of that one horror movie where the kid drowned and haunted his cabin at summer camp.

"This is perfect! I can see what Mezmar's up to, without anyone seeing me." I wore a flat look of disbelief on my face. Sarah held out her scanner, and a bunch of blue light shot out, running over the fish-freak's body. She stopped after a few seconds, and dove backward as he turned to look in our direction. She showed me her scanner, and I saw on her screen a picture of Nauthalax.

"See? Now Fish Face's code is saved on my scanner. His code has all his disciplinary scores and attacks." I awed over it.

"Just like the cards." She giggled.

"Now you're catching on." We had no time to celebrate, however, as a fireball landed in front of us.

* * *

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	3. Chapter 3: The Victor and the Spoils!

Chapter  
Starto!

* * *

(Tom's P.O.V)

"I spy *hif hif* DINNER!" Nauthalax growled/gurgled as he stared down at us. That's when I saw the inside of his mouth, sharp and a dark poisonous purple, and realized I'd rather not meet up with that set of teeth. Sarah had her arms around my waist, while I struggled to pull us away from the horrid creature. He began to huff angrily and threw more fireballs at us, making me and Sarah scatter for our lives. I collided with something midway, and looked around to see what looked like a tiny...powder puff wing bird wings?

It chirped at me, "PIRI!" and without thinking I grabbed it, just as Sarah caught up to me. We were knocked to the ground by another blast behind us. We turned to see Nauthalax standing nearby. He charged up another fireball, and threw it hard, and we would have bit the dust, if a giant water spout hadn't suddenly burst from the ground.

"Slither back to where you came from, Nauthalax!" Yelled a deep, booming voice, and I looked up to see a what almost looked like a sea serpent creature. His scales were indigo blue in color, and gold armor adorned his chest. His eyes were acid green, and reptilian in shape. Four spikes stuck out from the back of his head, and in between the spikes were thin blue membranes. He almost looked like a fairy-tail lake dragon.

"Mezmar!" Sarah gasped excitedly. Nauthalax seemed less pleased.

"After I FRY YOUR HIDE!" He shouted, summoning fire into his hands. He threw them one after another at Mezmar, who dove into the water to escape the torrent.

He then came up, and released what resembled a fire-hose blast of water, smacking Nauthalax in the gut, when another blast hit him from the side and then his face.

"Come on!" Sarah urged me. I stared up at her with the now familiar "w-t-f-are-you-on?' look. The pigmy puff thing I had grabbed earlier poked its face out of my hand, and made an adorable little growl.

"I need a better position to scan from." I would have answered, "No thanks, I'll just lie here, much more safe," but she yanked on my collar. I got up, and we scrambled along the sandbank, watching the fight. The puffball was growling, and tried to dart over, before I reached out and pulled it back.

"No, no, little guy. Over there is too dangerous." The puffball growled at me, the made a sad noise and settled against my hip pocket. A sudden shout caught my attention, and I watched in horror as Mezmar was blasted out of the water and onto the bank. I made to run for him, when Sarah caught my arm.

"Move it! I can't scan him like this!" I wrenched my arm from her grip, staring at her in shock.

"SARAH! He just saved our lives, and you're STILL trying to scan him? He needs help!" I gestured angrily. I saw the hesitation in her eyes, and turned, darting off towards the duel. I heard her call me back.

I ran to the dragon's side and pulled on his arm, wincing as his scales embedded themselves in my palms. He groaned, trying to get up, but before we got anywhere, Nauthalax slammed his foot down in front of us. "Where I come from, no good deed goes unpunished." I wanted to scream, and I think that a noise did escape me at one point. I pulled on Mezmar's arm again. I would have been blasted, had a dark and blond blur not suddenly crashed into me and knocked us away at the last second.

"Remember our chat from, like, TWO seconds ago?" She snarled from above me. "This is REAL! You get fried here, you STAY FRIED!" I gulped, the puffball making that sad noise again. It had taken refuge in my shirt, sitting just above my thudding heart. "RUN!" Sarah yelled, and darted away. She must have been used to doing that by now. I got up and ran after her, only to smack against her as Nauthalax advanced on us. He would've had us too, if a suddenly wizened voice hadn't called out of the gloom.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't my old friend Nauthalax. Bad idea to drop in uninvited." I mentally squealed in delight as a figure descended from the sky. He had blue-tinted skin, a long dark blue cape and robes, and a super long grey beard. His eyes held wisdom and at this moment slight anger, but I knew this Creature anywhere.

"Najaryn." Nauthalax hissed, and threw a few fireballs at him. Najaryn easily knocked them into ash, and meanwhile the puffball was going nuts, wiggling around my shirt like that alien thing from that one movie. At one point I grabbed it, holding it steady as I watched in awe as Najaryn deflected more fireballs and a water spout.

"Is that ALL you've got?" I grinned and pumped my fists in a giddy way at Najaryn's back-sassas he flicked away a water droplet on his finger.

Nauthalax got this lost look on his face for a brief moment before aiming his hands at the water. A water spout appeared, then burst into two columns and surrounded Najaryn like a cage. I gaped in horror.

"You won't escape my Liqua-Sphere!" And then mentally sweat-dropped. _Wow, all those cool names, and you call it that?_

Mezmar, on the other hand, was trying to crawl back to the water. Nauthalax crowed in victory, 'It worked!" before the corner of his eye picked up on Mezmar. He turned and started to walk forward.

"I...I gotta do something!" I cried, picking up a stick and darting forward. I heard Sarah call out for me, but paid her no heed as I charged at Nauthalax. I used a familiar kendo stance, and brought the stick down on the green goop giant's leg, only to have the stick break in half. Nauthalax turned to me, and not really having any other option, I held out my hands and tried to use Mujic. Figures that's the one thing I needed the most, and guess what happened?

Nothing.

"Ember Swarm! Rock Wave!" I gritted my teeth, trying to feel that warmth from before, only to have a cold chill wrap around me. Wait, cold? I was suddenly picked up from the ground and blown back to where Sarah stood. I looked up to see Najaryn, his hands spread wide in a wind-style summoning. The puffball, who was still hiding in my shirt, was chirping happily.

Najaryn's hands glowed bright, fiery blue, and suddenly Nauthalax was blown back by a burst of energy. He landed gracelessly in the lake, and I turned to stare at the ground.

"Kaz, I'll never doubt you again buddy." I muttered, walking towards the other three.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere:

I winced as the smell of garbage hit my nose repeatedly, wishing over and over that Kaz would die from being run through by a rusty pipe, or slipping on a piece of trash and dyng from a head wound.

"Tom, I hear you silently plotting my painful death over there." Dammit, how does he do that? I huffed.

"And you say I have these cool goggles, whadja call em? "Mujic Specs?' or something?" Kaz made a noise of agreement. "And using these 'Specs' I can see perfectly again?" Another noise, this time farther away.

"Tom! Check this out!" Kaz sounded joyful, and I perked up in response.

"You found my scanner?" The trash under his feet rustled as he made his way over to me.

"No, a Centriam Hawk from Star Quest. I could clean it up and-" I cut him off by throwing the towel I had been holding at him. I heard a smack! which meant it had found its target.

"I still can't figure out how you do that." I shrugged.

"Guess I've got the aim of the Crane." I quoted from a karate movie. Kaz snickered, but it choked off.

"Oh god..." He whispered, seeing my scanner on a converor belt, heading to the crusher.

* * *

In Perim:

I gasped as Mezmar grabbed onto my arm. He coughed, startling me. "That was... very brave, human." I blinked, and turned to try helping him up again.

"Not brave..." I panted. "It's the right thing to do." He groaned in pain.

Najaryn landed with a swoosh next to us. "If you please..." He motioned for me and Sarah to step away. I nearly fainted as he looked at me in particular. I was squealing over and over in my head, unable to believe it was really Najarin.

"Yes your...Mujic...ness...Sir...Sire." I replied geekily, Sarah pulling me back with a smile. _'Smooth._' my mind whispered.

"Forget about me, Najaryn. Stop the spy." Mazmar weakly pleaded, tail slowly sliding around on the muddy bank.

Najaryn's reply was soothing. "All he has seen today, is courage, from creatures great and small." He was staring at us, oh em gee! I was sure I was going to faint in the next moment or so.

Najaryn took out a seven-sided ring, which I recognized as Mujic, and began to chant as it rose into the air. "By the power of Perim, I summon thee kind Mujician, to heal this fallen warrior." A blue mist rose from Najaryn, and swirled about the ring. I gaped as I realized I was witnessing firsthand a REAL Mujic summoning.

"Song of Rejuvenation!" A cheerful tune played, Bu-Ba-Bu-Be-Ba-Be-Bu, and suddenly what almost sounded like an entire orchestra played the tune. "Heal Mezmar!" Najaryn commanded.

A bright light surrounded the dragon, and he was lifted upward, balancing on his tail like a snake. He stretched his body, and turned a grateful gaze towards Najaryn.

"Thank you old friend." I smiled as Najaryn replied with a quiet, "Always," and shrieked as a clawed paw came down on my head, ruffling my hair like one would ruffle a cat's fur. "And thank you, NEW friend." I laughed as he played with my hair a bit longer, then jumped backwards into the air. Sarah quickly pulled out the scanner.

As Mezmar fell gracefully into the water, she scanned him, and as he disappeared she let out a whoop.

"Got him! I deleted Nauthalax for a totally healed Mezmar scan." I grinned, then turned my head as Najaryn began to speak.

"Great wonders and rewards await those who brave the wilds of Perim, and survive." I nearly swooned, but then the ever-annoying puffball of doom decided to ruin the serious moment by chirping and flying out of my collar.

"Oh, now you want to come out!" I scowled after it, only to pale as it landed in Najaryn's out-stretched hand.

"Ah, Pipori. I was wondering where you had gotten to. Were you with this human the entire time?" The puff-er, Pipori chirruped an agreement, then launched itself at me, squealing loudly as it rubbed itself all over my face. I twitched, trying not to make any hysterical noises.

"It seems he has taken a liking to you, young one." Najaryn uttered, and Pipori zoomed back into his hand. "He even seems to see you as a friend. I am glad for that, it seemed he was lonely ever since the day I made him." Hold the phone book. Najaryn MADE that thing? I gaped.

Sarah laughed at my expression as Najarin floated back through the fog, a happy and noisy Pipori following him. "Well, something new everyday in Perim." She walked away. "Come on, let's head back to Chaotic, and I'll show you how you REALLY transport." I followed after her, sighing blissfully.

I just met Najaryn, was given the title of 'Friend' by Mezmar, won a Chaotic match, and made a bunch of new friends. And to top it off, my new goggles let me see.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere:

"My scanner's WHERE?" I screeched. Kaz turned me in the direction of the banging sound, and I wrenched the toy from his hands.

"Feel what cannot be seen." I focused, and threw the toy with a spin. I heard a smack!, then Kaz let out a whoop. He led me over near the machine, then past it, and handed me my scanner.

"Nice shot." I paused feeling the button just below my finger tip.

"Well?" I turned comically to him.

"Hang on! Gimme a second!" He snorted with laughter.

"Why? Scared?" I felt a sweatdrop roll down my head.

"No, it's just..." I hesitated. Kaz hadn't seemed all that upset when he learned my secret. He was right in the head, not always mind you, but still... a part of me was scared to press down, to gain all these supposed memories from my other self.

"Press it." He urged, and my fear rose again.

"I will!" He waited, then suddenly shouted 'NOW!" making me shriek and jump. "Okay!"

I pressed down, the scanner made a tiny chirping noise, and suddenly my mind was flooded with images, voices, sensations... I stumbled backward into Kaz.

"Dude..." I breathed after a few moments. Kaz heaved me back up.

"I know." I turned around to face him.

"DUDE!" He replied again with "I know!" I tilted my head down sadly.

"Kaz...I'm sorry. About everything." He put a hand on my shoulder.

"It's okay." He began leading me away. "So, tell me more about how you found out you were gay." I laughed loudly.

"NO WAY! But I can tell you what happened to me and Sarah in the OverWorld at Lake Ken-i-po, with Nauthalax and Najaryn." I stumbled as Kaz tripped over his feet in surprise.

"You saw Nauthalax? And Najaryn? Did you scan 'em? What's a Sarah?" I snorted, only Kaz wouldn't recognize a girl's name.

"Not what, Kaz. Who. And I'll only tell ya on one condition. If you promise not to think I'm crazy." We shared a burst of laughter at that joke, and began the trek home.

* * *

A few hours later:

I sighed, laying on my bed. The adventure I had today was exciting, but I was starting to miss the whole 'being-able-to-see-again' thing. I turned on my side as the doorbell rang, guessing Kaz wanted to hear more about the Lake Ken-i-po incident.

"Tommy! You've got a package!" I got up and felt my way towards the door, opening it and leaning out towards the stairs.

"Who's it from?" I slurred, feeling less than happy.

"Someone named...CodeMaster Hotekk." I literally fell down the stairs, and I heard my mother shriek of horror. I ignored it, and held out my hands for the package.

"Thomas Majors, what just happened?" Mom asked as I tore into the box, feeling around for- AHA! I pulled up on the band of stretched rubber, turning to my mom.

"Hotekk is...a friend of mine, that I told about my condition." Not a complete lie. "He said he wanted to help, and I'm guessing this is what he meant." I pulled them on as my mom gave a disbelieving cluck.

"Tommy, I know you're hopeful but-" I cut her off as I gave a jolt, having forgotten the zap. I gazed around the hallway, letting all the details I never could have before sink in.

"When...did we get green wallpaper?" I asked offhandedly, and was nearly bowled over by my mother, who was howling in relief.

"My BABY CAN SEE AGAIN!" I pushed her off, and looked around me.

My world had come back.

* * *

"Uh." I woke groggy, and fell off my bed for the first time in ten years. Not that it wasn't painful, mind you, but it only happened after something crazy would happen to me. And what had happened a few days ago counted as crazy. I hadn't talked to Kaz because of schoolwork, but I really wanted to ask him more about Chaotic.

I felt around and my hands closed over the goggles, their shape and feel now completely memorized by my skin. I managed to brush my hair back into a ponytail, like my Chaotic part, and pulled the goggles on gently. After zapping my eyes, I kept them closed for a few seconds. After all, I hadn't been able to see for a decade of my life. It was going to take some getting used to.

I opened my eyes and walked over to my mirror. My eyes were really a bright sky blue, just like Kaz had told me. My hair was black, with just a bit of brown-tinge, and really long. No wonder I was able to ponytail it. My skin was overly tan, reflecting my Asian heritage. My mom had married my father in Hokkaido, then raised me there for about three years. Then, when I was four, we came here to America. I was all by myself, except for three other asian kids, a girl named Naomi Hayame, a boy named Jun Xioa, and another boy named...named...Oh my gawd.

I snatched up my scanner just as it went off, and when Kaz's face appeared on screen I began to talk rapidly.

"OMYGOD, Kaz, I-just-remembered-where-I-knew-Sam-he-was-one-of-the-kids-in-preschool-and-I-went-to-Chaotic-the-other-day-and-it-was-so-cool-" Kaz cut me off by laughing.

"I know Tom, I was there, remember? And of course Sam was in our preschool, why do you think he wanted to battle you?" I blinked. Seemed to be a habit I developed.

"Now, are you doing anything as of this moment?" I shook my head. "Good. Port to Chaotic, cuz I just got the scoop on some pretty nice BattleGear. Also, make sure you got a scan of Dractyl's nesting grounds." I sent him a suspicious look.

"Why?" Kaz grinned sheepishly at me.

"Well, the info comes at a price."

* * *

The only thing I will say about what happened after is that, Dractyl scales=Gross. They're big purple pods almost, and they ooze slime that smells sick. I gagged as Kaz loaded another round into his backpack, and when he flung one at me teasingly I screamed and threatened to port away with no regard to what happened to him. After that, I got a message on my scanner saying that PeytonicMaster wanted to challenge me. I laughed a bit, before realizing that Kaz had this 'oh shit' look on his face. I narrowed my eyes, and it hit me.

"Peyton...The guy who helped me on the first day." Kaz nodded. I whimpered looking back at my screen.

'I don't want to fight a friend...'

* * *

We ported to an UnderWorld town afterward, and Kaz led me through several dark alleys, and we bumped into a bunch of really odd Creatures, all of whom knew Kaz well. One even gave him a fist-bump.

We wandered for a while, and I became more and more nervous. It got so bad that at one point Kaz stopped walking and pulled me into a one-armed hug.

"Tom, will you chill out? He should be here any minute." I shook him off.

"Kaz, I've got to hurry or I'll be late for my match." In reality, I could care less if I missed it and became the laughing stock of Chaotic. Peyton was nice, and I tend to get a bit... violent when it comes to fighting. I accidentally made a newbie cry the other when I beat him with Frafdo. I had to cheer him up by doing acrobatics in the court, until a robot floated by with a sneering voice.

"It's not enough you humans can play in Dromes, but now you can do all that?" I fell off the railing I had been balancing on, and ended up in the fountain below. The kid freaked when I went plunging under the water, but when I came up and started doing laps he laughed it off. His screen name was MipedianPrince13, and his real name was Ivan. He had short brown hair with green tips, and big expressive blue eyes that made me want to pick him up and hug him forever.

"Can we trade scanner info?" He asked me, and we swapped e-mail. He wasn't the kind to text endlessly and I was glad for that. I was snapped out of memory lane by Kaz saying something, then by something jumping on me, snarling and grabbing at me.

"AHH! Kaz HELP! It's gonna eat me!" I freaked trying to get the thing off. It was green, had red hair like Kaz, and wore a brown vest. It also looked like a deformed raving rabbit, from that one game. Except with giant blue eyes instead of red ones. Kaz pulled it off of me laughing.

"Ew, eat a HUMAN? Blegh, too many bones." The thing muttered, making me cringe. _How the hell do you know that? _I screamed mentally. Kaz grinned again, and waved a hand to the Creature who was smiling at us.

"Tom, this is H'earring, my inside man. I bring him goodies, he hooks me up with the prime scans." H'earring peered inside Kaz's backpack, and squealed in joy.

"Ooh! Dractyl Scales!" Kaz pulled his pack off the ground, and away from H'earrings wandering paws.

"You better have something good for me. Getting these scales was way more nasty than usual." Referring to our slime fight, I snickered. He pulled out a scarlet statue of Dractyl. I hadn't seen that at the nest...Then again, the slime had been pretty distracting, ugh.

"Where'dya get that?" I asked confusedly. Kaz put the statue back in.

"I found it in Dractyl's nest. I always pick up stuff like this when I'm in Perim. You never know when something will come in handy." He ended by tossing a few scales at H'earring, who caught them with an excited squeal, and shoved them in his mouth. I gasped, retched, then gagged all in the span of a second, and tried to force my lunch back down.

"Okay, what'di'ya got?" Kaz said, now that the green raving rabbit of gross had finished his meal. He grinned.

"New battle gear. Tough..." Suddenly, a sound like a motorcycle engine picked up, and H'earring's left ear went up. He giggled, then in the opposite direction an even louder engine sounded. H'earring cackled evilly and ran over in front of a building, pointing at the glass window.

I was about to sigh in relief, before the glass shattered to reveal a giant wheel, with a creature in it. He cried out, "YEE-HAW!" and landed in front of us. I recognized him after a moment as Blazer, a hill-billy-like Creature that Kaz sometimes used. Kaz scoffed as Blazer came to a stop in front.

"That's the Battle-Gear you dragged me out here for? Ugh, I have a Mower-Cycle already." I kid you not, that's really what its called. We both jumped as the loud engine started up behind us, and we turned just in time to see the building's face come falling down around us. We stood as still as possible as the rubble landed around us, and sighed in relief.

Only to scream in surprise as a giant, spiked machine leg came down on the rubble in front of us. We gawked at the giant machine, and H'earring popped up in between us to say in a teasing voice, "I bet you don't have one of those.." I kept staring as my eyes went up the machine, only to freeze as I saw who was controlling it.

Chaor.

Sure, Kaz went gaga over the UnderWorlder, but I was frozen in fear where I stood. Chaor was not just some Creature. He was the big shot of the UnderWorld.

-Chaor: Has red skin, and spikes protruding from several points on his body. He has blue eyes, a bad temper, and is known for his fire-based attacks. Few have ever managed to scan Chaor without injury, and many have simply just been Coded. His armor of course has spikes on it, and there are few Creatures who have the ability to stand up to him.-

We scattered as he drove the Walker forward, growling as Blazer revved the engine of his bike.

"GIVE ME THAT MAP, BLAZER! Or I'll shut your spying eyes forever!" He roared in anger, and Blazer retorted by laughing crazily.

"Nothing doin' Chaor! Cuz I'm gonna find all yur UnderWorld hidey-holes, and you can't stop me!" Did I mention Blazer has the most awesome accent ever? He does.

"We'll just see about that!" Chaor growled out, and revved the engine of the legs. Kaz gulped audibly.

"Uh oh, looks like Blazer's challenging Chaor to a showdown." I gawked at the yellow Creature, who was giggling hyperactively as he rocked back and forth on his bike.

"He's crazy! He'll get squashed if he plays chicken with a thing like that!" I watched as the two rocked back and forth, waiting. H'earring giggled, the sound almost identical to a mad man's giggle.

"Maybe not. Blazer's smart, he's a master scout, and a map-maker for the OverWorld. He's been stealing Chaor's secrets for a long time." Blazer suddenly put his bike in drive, and sped towards Chaor's Walker. He ran past the leg, and rammed into the wall.

Now, here's the cool thing about Mower-Cycles - they can climb vertical places. Blazer went straight up into the air, and onto a decorated wall, where he proceeded to cut a bunch of statues off, one of which nearly squashed Chaor, if not for his impressive strength. He threw the statue at Blazer, who dodged it and jumped onto the top of a building.

Chaor growled and pressed a button on the console. It fired a green blast of energy at the spot just below Blazer's bike, and the Creature screamed as smoke engulfed him. He rushed out of the rubble a second later, pulled up near Chaor laughing, then took off down the alley. Chaor flipped a bunch of switches, and the Walker alternated between firing green and blue shots and walking forward.

"YES!" Kaz cried in triumph, and bent down to H'earrings level. "H'earring, you just earned all the smelly scales you can handle! I totally have to scan that thing now!" I glared at him.

"What about my battle? You were gonna fill me in about Peyton, remember? I don't know anything beyond he's a good person." H'earring sniggered.

"Peyton? Tell him I said 'Hi'." Why does that sound really bad? Kaz put his hand on my shoulder.

"Sorry Tom, but this Battle-Gear's to good to pass up. But good luck!" He gave me a brief hug, and H'earring spoke up.

"You'll need all the luck you can get going up against Peyton. Or he'll have you for lunch!" I narrowed my eyes at the Creature who stuffed his mouth with more Dractyl scales. There's no way Peyton could be that scary, right?

"Thanks. Very nice meeting you." I ported out, reappearing in the Port Court.

* * *

"I'm not gonna get freaked out. Peyton's nice, I'm sure he'll be easy on me. After all, we're friends so-" "Hel-lo?" I stopped in my tracks, staring at Sarah, who'd just interrupted my muttering. She scowled at me, and it was then I remembered my manners.

"Sarah? Hello, sorry about that, I'm a bit distracted right now." She rolled her eyes. "What are you doing today?"

"My friend Peyton's battling today. He has tons of cool scans, but he never uses them the way you think he will. You can always learn something when he trashes some poor sucker. Wanna watch with me?" I felt a cold tendril shoot down my spine.

"No thanks, I've already got a front-row seat. I'm the sucker." She clapped a hand to her mouth and stared at me with an apology in her eyes.

"Oh...Well, there's always hope." I perked up. "You could win. I guess." I felt my mood plummet. "Somehow." Mood has officially gone through the floor.

"Feel the energy...And let the energy feel ya back." We heard, and I turned to see Peyton stand weirdly a few feet away. He had his hands up, along with his left leg, and his eyes were closed. He stepped forward into another weird stance as he spoke, making a bunch of players giggle as they watched him. He repeated his mantra, stepping forward again until he was standing in font of us.

"Earth to Peyton. Come in Peyton." Sarah called mockingly, and one green eye opened to look around before settling on her.

"Sarah! Dig, today I'm relying totally on my intuitive innerness, to deal with the uh, ha ha ha, unexpected." Both Sarah and I rolled our eyes. I was grinning, Peyton was such a goofball, and so fun to hang around.

"I just walked all the way from the Transporter Center, from memory. Training myself to cope with the curve-balls, know what I mean?" I felt something flutter awkwardly in my gut, and realized it was nervousness.

"I didn't expect to see you, but uh, HWA! I'm dealing with it." I realized I'd tuned out some of what he'd said, and just caught the end of his sentence.

"That's very disturbing, as usual." I snickered and Peyton made an almost cat like smile. She turned to introduce me, when out of nowhere Peyton squawked and lunged at me, encasing me in a bear hug.

"Tommy, mah man! How ya been?" I laughed, even as my face heated up from the stares we were getting. After all, real friends do what ever they can to embarrass you. He put me down, and Sarah quirked an eyebrow at us.

"You two know each other?" I nodded, as Peyton began braiding my hair.

"He helped me around on my first day. He was really nice." Peyton made a noise of disgust.

"Dude, I'm ALWAYS nice. Right Sarah?" She made the 'little bit' gesture and Peyton made another squawking noise at her. I felt that weird wormy feeling come back, and I shuddered as it began to send icy spikes up my spine again.

"I'm so psyched to battle you, Tom. Can't wait to see your Maxxor in action again, right?" He oozed. I tried to smile, ignore the sick feeling in my stomach, but it must've come out wrong because Peyton's happy expression fell.

"Dude, Major T?" I My shoulders perked up, and suddenly I was running towards the Transporters.

"TOM!" "MajorT!" I heard them call after me, but my finger was already pressing the button. I had my eyes closed, but when I opened them, I realized I was in a grassy meadow, and looking off to my right I saw Najarin's castle rising up from the lake.

* * *

I sat down, feeling the hot, sick feeling bubble up, and before I could stop it, a sob rang out. Then another, then four, then I was howling in misery. A loud, annoying, familiar "PIRI!" in my ear startled me enough to stop, and I looked up to see Pipori floating above my head.

"Pipori..." I muttered. It sang at me, 'Pi-pi-piri-piri!' and without thinking I grabbed at it. I held it close to my chest, soaking up the soft texture of its body. It pulled its face out of my hands, and cooed at me. Now that I had time to examine it, I realized it kinda looked like a Furby, big purple eyes and a soft chocolate brown coat. Its stomach was a light, tawny color, and the wings on its back were smoky grey. Najarin had put a lot of effort into this guy.

"Pipori, what do I do?" It cooed at me in answer. "I don't want to fight Peyton. He's...he's my friend, and if I say the wrong thing, or something, he'll h-hate me..." At this point, I started to cry again. When a smooth, wise voice suddenly sighed from behind me.

"Oh little one. What ails your heart so deeply?" I stopped crying and turned to see Najaryn, floating down from the air. I choked on a sob, and the Mugician reached out his hand and patted my head softly.

"I-I can't fight Peyton...I just can't!" I blubbered. Najaryn stood with his hand on my head, and somehow I got the feeling this was extremely rare for him to do. "I haven't had any friends besides Kaz since the accident. No one wants to be friends with a blind person! But...But Peyton did. He reached out to me, and he doesn't care that I'm blind! I...I don't want to...to..." At this point, my throat was trying to collapse in on itself, and my nose and eyes were running like taps.

Najarin sighed and pulled out a green rag. He handed it to me, and I muttered thanks as I cleaned my face off. Once I was done, he waved his hands, and a cooling breeze ran over my face.

"Little one, do not think of it as a fight. Think of it as a way to know your friend better, by learning how he spars. Many great friendships have been forged here in Perim by one sparring with another. You may find he has more in common with you, than you realize." I blinked several times, then looked at him and smiled.

"Thank you, Najaryn." I used a honorific, a term of respect in my culture, We stood, and he bowed to me, I returned the gesture, feeling at peace with myself. I giggled as Pipori snuggled against my neck, before I ported back to Chaotic. I was greeted by Peyton and Sarah rushing up to me.

"Dude, it's almost time for our match! Where ya been, dude?" Peyton wheeled. I shook my head, and grabbed his arm. I held myself together and inhaled quietly. Peyton smelled way different from Sarah and Kaz, he acted different too. So, I needed to give a new approach to my new friend.

"Peyton..." I let go and stood up tall.

"Let's get Chaotic."

* * *

I walked up to the podium, facing Peyton and wishing my heart would calm down. I _can do this_, I chanted,_ I won't get upset if I lose._ Peyton waved at me, catching my attention.

"Yo, dude! Let's make sure we both have fun, alright?" I froze, then leaned over so that I was looking straight at him.

"Peyton?" He 'hmm'-ed a response.

"I...I've never actually played for fun." He nodded, then a silent moment of three seconds, then...

"WHAT?" I nearly fell over from the gust his voice created. "Dude, NEVER? That's just...just plain WRONG!" I straightened up.

"I've always battled competitively, but...I want you to teach me. How to have fun playing Chaotic." I said with a set expression. Peyton had the most out-of-place look of surprise, then it turned into a 280 grin.

"No problemo, my compadre."

* * *

Meanwhile, SOMEWHERE IN THE UNDERWORLD:

Kaz and H'earring peeked out from behind a Gothic-looking fountain as Chaor continued to blast away at Blazer, missing every-time. That is, until they rounded a corner, and Chaor managed to hit the Mower-Cycle and send Blazer flying through the air. The yellow Creature shuffled onto his back, spitting like a cowboy would.

"I ain't a'scared o' you! Show me watcha got!" Chaor snickered, and a cannon tilted down to aim at Blazer. The cannon charged...Then nothing.

"NO! The cannons are SHOT!" Chaor shouted in rage as he pounded his fist on the console. Blazer let loose a hill-billy cry, "YEE~HOO!", and ran off as fast as he could.

"Laugh now, Blazer! Once Ulmar fixes this thing, I'll track you down, and make you PAY!" Chaor shifted the Walker into movement, and the ruler of the UnderWorld clamored back towards the castle.

"Kaz, the cannons don't work! Scan it now before he sees us, quick!" Kaz frowned and put a few fingers on his chin. Then turned to look at his companion with a smile.

"If I scan it now, I won't be able to fire the cannons either. Let's follow him to this Ulmar guy's place, and scan it when it's fixed." H'earring whimpered.

* * *

"Alright, Tom, you ready?" I shook my head feeling sick. "Hey." I opened my eyes, seeing Peyton standing in the weirdest position I'd ever seen. He had his right arm straight up, his left arm bent so his thumb was on his nose, and his legs were in a 4-position. It looked ridiculous, and before I could stop it, a snort escaped my lips.

"That's better, to go into it laughing like a loon, than crying like a...a..." I didn't bother to smother my laughter as Peyton awkwardly scratched his head with his right hand. Then, he began to hum while balancing on one leg, trying to find the scroller blindly.

"What're you trying to do? Pick with your eyes closed?" I was red in the face, and giggling like crazy. Peyton just seemed...Well, no way to accurately describe him, was there? But he was definitely a good friend.

"That... is an awesome great idea!" He began to do so, and my happy mood plummeted through the floor, along with my confidence and stomach. Time to get serious... I looked at my own screen, and after picking Maxxor, I closed my eyes and picked ten location cards. I opened them to pick my Mujic, Song of Ember Nova. Then I pulled my Cycle-Lance, an Air-attack type Battle Gear. I let my eyes drift down to the scanner, wishing with all my might that Kaz's face would appear and fling a joke/insult at me for being so chicken.

_'Kazzy..._'

"PLAYERS LOCK YOUR DECKS." Okay, it was not my imagination, then, the voice really DID sound bored. I tried to concentrate as the familiar wave of energy filled the room.

~A While Later~...

I fell on my hands and knees gasping as the code vanished. Peyton was by my side in an instant, but I was barely paying any attention.

I had lost.

Sarah hadn't been kidding, Peyton was a beast when it came to fighting. He'd pulled so many moves, I-I just couldn't keep up. I felt that familiar wave of anger push up at my stomach, and bit down on it. Then, pushing Peyton away from me as hard as I could, I fled from the Drome.

I ran, bitter tears streaming down my face. I couldn't stop, and before I knew it I was standing at the bench where Kaz had first given me the goggles. I pulled them off, wiping at my face furiously.

"MajorTom?" I froze at the sound of my name, but relaxed when I realized it was Ivan.

"I-I don't know what came over me." I heard a rustle, and something warm was being pressed into my hands. I took it, then put my goggles back on. It was a package of warm moist towelettes. I looked blankly at the smaller boy.

"W-Well, to clean your face. You're all red and wet." He blushed. I stared some more, then smiled. I pulled my goggles off again, and began to wipe my face off, grateful that Ivan had been so considerate, then felt guilty, because I'd just left Peyton there with no explanation. He was probably upset. I had to go apologize.

"Ivan, we need to go to the port-court." He nodded, and held my arm as I took in several deep breathes to calm down. Then, we were off.

* * *

Kaz and H'earring snuck through the window, landing on the ground like cats. They had to be careful after all; this was UnderWorld territory. Kaz crept forward, finally spying the infamous Ulmar. He was unbelievably hideous, looking like a goblin with half of it's skull torn off and big, bloodshot red eyes. His brain pulsed, pink waves rippling the wrinkles.

"He's never satisfied...He always wants MORE power. Well, these new reactors should be powerful enough, even for Chaor!" The brain-goblin(1) muttered to himself as he worked. He then stepped back to admire his creation, then stepped onto a platform that took him down from the top of the Walker.

When he got to the ground he paused, and in that instant a small, harmless, blue, purple, and red butterfly landed on his elbow. He took one look at it, and freaked, clawing at it, and shrieking.

Kaz snuck forward, catching a peek at Ulmar as the brain-goblin(A/N:Pfffft!) walked up to a console. He chanced a few words to H'earring. "You were right, he's a weirdo. But he's a day at the beach compared to Chaor." H'earring huffed.

"You think you can handle that Vile-Driver of his in a battle?" Vile-Driver? Meh, better than Mower-Cycle. Kaz grinned and scoffed.

"Are you kidding? Of course I can." H'earring accidentally lay a hand on the skeleton in front of them, making it rattle. The noise alerted Ulmar, who screeched "INTRUDERS!" and, opening his coat and selecting an almost empty vial, threw it at the skeleton. It exploded with a bang! and a few seconds later the skeleton fell to the floor with a series of clatters.

"Hehehe hehehe Just my old assistant." Ulmar laughed nervously. Kaz held in a shudder, and turned to H'earring to mouth 'His old assistant?' The green raving rabbit of grossness shrugged.

They ducked towards a cart that had things in jars, and when Kaz looked at them he held in the urge to gag. H'earring, on the other hand, was panting and drooling at the specimens.

"Ugh, this calls for some ingenuity." He pushed H'earring under the cart as he spoke. "Here's the plan: you distract Ulmar, while I scan the Vile-Driver." He put his foot on the side of the cart.

"Bad plan! Make another one!" Kaz shrugged.

"Too late." Nonchalantly he kicked at the cart, sending it speeding towards the bottom of the lab. The jars on top fell on the stairs, breaking, exploding, sending up poisonous clouds of vapor. Ulmar gave chase, hurtling different vials at the runaway rabbit while shrieking "A SPY! I KNEW IT!"

Kaz quickly scanned the Vile-Driver, then ran up to it as the scan finished appearing in his deck. He gazed at it, then at the real thing. "Hmm, it IS pretty huge. Seems risky to use it for the first time in a Drome when the Battle's at stake. Maybe I better take it for a test drive!" He muttered excitedly.(A/N: Oh Kazzy. When will you learn that your ideas are never good ones?)

He got on the elevator, then raised himself up to the Vile-Driver's platform. He jumped on, and examined the controls. He flipped a switch and the machine hummed its coming to life.

"This must make it go forward." He guessed, pushing the nearest lever up. The foot began to lift, then the contraption whirled about, and smashed the ground almost 70 degrees away. Kaz was jerked away on the platform, then began to pull, tug, and press any control he could.

"HOW DO I STOP THIS THING?"(A/N: Like I said...-_-;)

* * *

I walked through the port court with Ivan clutching my arm, glancing around for any sign of Peyton. I asked a few robots, who only huffed and said stuff along the lines of 'we are here to serve Chaotic players, not baby-sit them.' I stuck my tongue out at the last one, then started forward when I saw Peyton, standing in front of some players. I ran towards him, only stopping when Ivan yanked hard on my arm.

"...And then, dudes, I beat him down with mah Mipedian Smog attack to cover me..." Ivan had his feet firmly planted on the ground. Good thing too, because I felt the world tip under my feet. I couldn't believe my eyes. Here I was, worrying about hurting his feelings, and there he was, bragging about how he'd beaten me. I gritted my teeth. and stormed over.

"Peyton..." The brunette spun around, a grin on his face that disappeared when he took in the anger in my eyes.

"I...can't...believe...you. I was worried, thinking I'd hurt your feelings by running off, but I guess you took that opportunity to brag, huh?" I felt my face heat up again, and I turned around to run to the Transporters. I pressed down on the button, vaguely noting it was the field near Najaryn's castle.

"Tom, wait!" I heard him call out, but I gave no response. The world dissolved around me.

* * *

Ulmar had H'earring cornered. He held up his last two vials threateningly at the raving rabbit. "I've got you now!" H'earring screamed, and curled up into a ball. He didn't need to, though, as Kaz and the runaway Vile-Driver turned the corner and stomped towards them.

The front doors to the castle opened, and both Ulmar and H'earring ran out screaming, Kaz following shortly. The Vile-Driver smashed the doorway, then continued towards its creator. Ulmar panted, then pointed a dramatic finger at the red-head.

"You thieving FOOL! You're going to destroy it!" He jumped out of the way as the VD stomped past him. Kaz yanked on the levers.

"A-Ah! Don't worry! I've got it under control!...Not." (A/N: Kaz...-_-;) He pulled back on the levers in his hands, making the VD wobble. Just past its foot, Kaz could see the sheer drop down into the water he would no doubt fall into.

"MY BEAUTIFUL CREATION! NO!" Kaz yanked as hard as he could on the lever, and finally the VD turned around. Kaz sighed in relief, only to gasp in horror as he realized it was now heading for H'earring! The raving rabbit screamed as he saw the VD walking towards him, and began to run in the opposite direction...which didn't really help at all.

"Turn right! Turn right!" He screeched at the human. Kaz pulled back as far as he could only to have the lever snap, leading him to tumble off the Vile-Driver. Ulmar ran screaming as the VD careened towards him, and watched as it smashed into the stone wall behind him.

"Well, that was fun!" Kaz called over his shoulder as he ran from the scene of destruction. "Let's do it again real soon! See ya, pal." He disappeared in a flash of blue code.

H'earring stumbled over the rubble of the Vile-Driver. "KAAAAAAZ! YEOW!" He was still running from Ulmar, who was ten times angrier now that his creation had been destroyed.

* * *

There was no one the as I sat down in the grass, wincing as I felt the dew seeping into my clothes. Pipori was there, and smacked straight into my face as I cried.

"WHY! I always screw things up!" I sobbed, feeling ashamed that I just ran off like that. I almost missed the blue light to my left, but I didn't miss the hand that planted itself firmly on my shoulder.

"Tom-" I jumped up, and whirled around, grabbing most of Peyton in a hug.

"I'm SORRY! I didn't mean it! Peyton, I'm so, so, so, so sorry!" I cried, only stopping when Pipori chirped from on top of my head. Peyton patted my shoulders as he began to speak.

"Tom, I wasn't makin' fun of ya. You see, a lot of newbie players look up to me, and think that my strategies are cool. I was explaining how I beat ya, because most of those kids don't have any strategies of their own." I sniffed and looked up from where I had been crying into his shoulder. Only to turned red again as I saw Najaryn watching us from the trees at the edge of the forest. He gave me an amused look complete with a raised eyebrow, and I let my face scrunch up as a sign for him to stay out of this.

"Peyton, I'm so sorry I over-reacted." He waved me off.

"I guess I shoulda been wording mah phrases a bit differently, bro. It's my fault." I sniffed, and the beautiful friendship moment was ruined by Pipori chirping and launching itself at Peyton's face. He fell over after being tackled, and pulled the puffball off like I had done.

"What in Chaotic is this thing?" I laughed as Pipori purred from where it hung from Peyton's fingers, it's wing gently pinched between the brunette's digits.

"It's called Pipori. I don't know what it is, but it was made by Najaryn." Peyton's jaw dropped.

"THE Najaryn? Dude, then this thing..." He trailed off, watching as Pipori fluttered onto my head. I giggled and held out my hand.

"Let's go back. I think we may have scared Ivan and the others enough for today." We ported back, but just before we did, I turned and looked at Najaryn. He raised his hand, and I waved back, mouthing the words 'Thank you' to him.

* * *

When we got back, everyone who could see us sighed in relief. I smiled as I realized they thought Peyton and I were fighting. Kaz zigzaged through the crowd, and stopped in front of us.

"Bout time Kaz. You missed a lot today. As usual." He growled, then straightened up. He started to say something, only to freeze as looked at my face. He then rounded on Peyton, grabbing his shirt collar.

"WHAT. DID. YOU. DO?" He growled, and it was then I realized that my face was still red and wet.

"No, no, no! Kaz, he didn't- it wasn't - I was-" I cut myself off as Sarah walked up, then cleanly karate-chopped Kaz in the back of his neck, sending him to the floor. I let out a cry, "KAZZY!" and got to my knees to help him.

"Nice match Peyton. Haven't seen your 'Peek-a-Boo' strategy in a while." I managed to wake Kaz up, and after explaining the situation to him, we waved goodbye to our two new friends. Peyton suddenly got this freaked out face, and called to me, but by then the pinging noise was too loud, and then I was back in my room.

"Man, today was hectic. I think I've had enough drama to last my whole life." I heard a small chirp, as though Pipori agreed with me, and went to sit on my bed - Wait.

I walked over to my mirror - and clamped a hand over my mouth to muffle the scream I emitted. Sitting on top of my head was a familiar puffball, who purred and snuggled deeper into my hair.

I was able to stay conscious a few more horrified seconds before I fainted with a THUMP!

* * *

Keep going going going.


	4. Chapter 4: Challenges and Bad Outcomes!

Hyped back up for this!

Chapter!

STARTO!

* * *

(Tom's P.O.V.)

"And you seriously didn't think it would come through with you?" Kaz asked as Pipori chirped at him from atop my computer. I groaned, rubbing my face.

"I didn't, Kazzu. I mean, the CodeMasters would've mentioned the whole 'oh-don't-take-anything-out-of-Perim-because-it-just-so-happens-you-can' thing!" I was lucky last night; I told Mom that I took the goggles off and tripped over something. I was EXTREMELY lucky because Pipori had enough sense to be quiet while I hid him in my pillowcase.

"Well, all you have to do is go back to Chaotic, then to Perim, and give him back to Najaryn. I mean, it's not like he'll be mad or anything." I looked up at him, then stared blankly into space.

'Hey Najarin, here's Pipori! Guess what, I accidentally took him out of Perim and back to my world! Well, have a nice day!' Actually, I could honestly do that. I began sniggering as I imagined the look on the Muge's face as I handed him the puffball.

"See? Think happy thoughts..." Kaz grinned as I fell on my side laughing. He laid down next to me, smiling while I made my giggles subside.

"Here's an idea - Let's try taking Pipori back to Chaotic, and if it comes through, we'll be able to take him back to Perim." I blinked, and agreed. I got Pipori and plopped him onto my head.

"Hang tight, little guy. Stay on me, okay?" He cooed back happily. Kaz gave me an odd look as he handed me my Scanner.

"Guy? How do you know it's a guy?" I shrugged.

"I just...feel like it's a guy. It doesn't give off much of a feminine vibe." I pulled the goggles off for a few seconds, wiping the lens clean with the rag, and pulled them back on, pressing the switch.

I gulped audibly, then pressed down on the button.

* * *

I opened them to see the port court, and when I reached up, a familiar coo made me jump. Pipori had come through with me!

"It-It worked!" I exclaimed. Kaz snorted from nearby.

"Well, what didja expect? I AM an UnderWorlder." I rolled my eyes, all ready strengthening my resistance to Kaz's 'That's-why-UnderWorlders-Rule' speech. We walked over to a table and sat down.

"UnderWorlders are the best, blah blah blah..." I retorted as a robot plopped down a pepperoni pizza in front of us. Kaz grinned as he hurriedly dug in, and I laughed when he burned his tongue. He stuck the little pink appendage in my direction in an exaggerated pout.

"Kiz eh beddah." I snorted, then squealed as he leaned towards me, a serious expression on his face. I turned red, from embarrassment of course, and shoved a soda in his face giggling.

"Drink this mujical potion and recover ten hit points." I said in a deadpan imitation of the Drome Voice. Kaz pulled his tongue back in and grinned at my bad joke. I finally took the slice opposite him, and began munching on it. I tore off a small piece of pepperoni and fed it to Pipori, who growled as it took the red circle from my fingers.

"How does it-" Kaz started to ask, cutting himself off as Pipori's face split open halfway and a big tongue slid out, rolling around the red dot, and dragging it into the maw, snapping shut with a weird _gloop _noise. Kaz and I stared in disgust and horror at it for a moment.

"That was so cool!" I squealed after, tearing off another piece and feeding Pipori another chunk, bigger this time and with cheese on it. Kaz gagged as I fed the monstrosity, cooing at it like a beloved pet. He put his face in his hands.

"That was **_so _**gross..." I laughed at him, Kaz had such a weak nerve. I grinned as I poked another chunk into Pipori's mouth.

"Najaryn was really trying to freak someone out with this guy, huh? That's why Overworlders are so cool." I looked up at Kaz's blank face and grinned evilly. "Better than UnderWorlders, that's for sure." He snarled through a grin at me.

"WHAT?" I smiled as I cocked my eyebrow at him.

"You heard me." Kaz touched his hand to his forehead dramatically.

"Oh that's right. OverWorlders are better than UnderWorlders. In your dreams!" I rolled my eyes and went to take a bite out of my slice. "Compared to UnderWorlders, OverWorlders are wimps!" I gasped, and put down my piece. Pipori pounced on it, and what was left vanished into his jaws. I scooped up my Scanner and pulled up my deck.

"Wimps?" I began clicking rapidly through my arsenal. "Then I guess you're saying that Maxxor's a wimp, and Belrat's a wimp, and Maglax's-" Kaz cut me off.

"Man, I'm not saying OverWorlders aren't great creatures - I have them in my deck too." He stood up, and following him with my eyes I saw a figure just behind him a few feet away put his soda can down angrily. I paid him no heed as I smiled at Kaz, wondering how this argument would end.

"I'm just saying that one tribe consistintly has the guts to do whatever it takes to win." The figure was rapping his fingers on the table. Must've lost a match or something, I thought distractedly.

"And that tribe is the UnderWorlders. Chaor, Takinom, Magmon, ALL the UnderWorlders. They've got totally fierce fire power, and they're not afraid to use it." There was a THUD! from the figure, then a clatter from the soda can, now on the floor, as he stood up. He walked towards us, and I shrunk down as I realized he was listening to Kaz the entire time.

"UnderWorlders toast OverWorlders for breakfast. Face it Tom, UnderWorlders rule, OverWorlders drool." He had dark blue hair, spiked in what could pass as a Goku-reference, and his skin was a distinct yellow tan. He had a malicious look in his eyes as he stopped behind Kaz.

"Uh, Kazzy?" My voice had died out before I even said anything, and the tone was too soft for Kaz to hear the fear in my words.

* * *

(Ivan's P.O.V.)

My eyes scanned the crowd, searching for MajorTom and KidChaor. I managed to find MajorTom, my brother, and the girl player known as the ChaotiKween.

"MajorTom!" I called, weaving through the crowd as he turned to me.

"Heya Ivan. You know MajorT?" I blinked.

"MajorT?" MajorTom blinked at us.

"Wait, you guys are brothers?" Another guy stared at us.

"You guys have to have an epiphany now?" We swerved to stare at him until he turned to the monitor.

"So, anyway." We all turned to ChaotiKween. "Ivan is Peyton's brother, Tom is known as MajorT to Peyton, Ivan knows Tom, and apparently some people can't keep themselves from other's conversation!" She growled the part. The boy flipped her off. MajorTom blinked.

"Yeah, pretty much. Ivan, you can call me Tom, you know?" I blushed. Tom pointed to the screen.

"Kaz was being himself, y'know, talking about UnderWorlders, and this guy, Herculeon, comes over and starts bad-mouthin' Kaz. So, Kaz challenged him to a Drome-match, but he didn't know who Herculeon was until, well, it was too late." He explained. Peyton's jaw dropped, and I groaned.

"Herculeon is the biggest, most self-centered, selfish, biggity, neanderthal that anyone could know." ChaotiKween huffed. I think her name was Sarah.

"Woah, Sarah, that's a lotta hate for one dude." Peyton soothed. My brother was great at making friends. Wish I was too... I was startled out of my thoughts by Tom pulling towards him, and wrapping his arms around my neck.

"T-Tom?" I asked while blushing full-force.

"If it gets too scary, I need something cute to hide behind." He said while smiling down at me. Peyton snickered and Sarah elbowed him hard.

* * *

Normal P.O.V.

Kaz glared at Herculeon, even as they set down their Scanners.

"So, your friend MajorTom is an OverWorlder, right?" That was the first sign that something was wrong. Kaz lifted his eyes from his deck.

"And?" The bluenette sneered.

"Well, I can already tell he's smarter than you."

Back in the Port-Court, Tom turned to a girl, took her cup, and threw it at the screen.

"Dammit, if you were here I'd tear you in half for saying that!" Tom raged at the screen. The girl blinked and shrugged, asking a nearby robot for another one.

"Shimmata, why do OverWorlders and UnderWorlders fight so much anyway?" He huffed as he sat down with his hands in his face. Another player, with dark chocolate colored skin, turned in his seat to look at him. He had his black hair twisted into dreadlocks, and his puppy brown eyes blinked at the group.

"Why don't cats and dogs get along either?" He said shrugging. Peyton nodded.

"Nobody really knows, because it seems like one of those deep-rooted negativity in the beginning kind of things." Peyton took a sip from his cup, offering it to Ivan who bent the straw a bit so he could share with his brother. Tom internally squealed about how cute that was. "You see-" He was cut off by Sarah who hushed him as the alarm blared.

"THE BOARDS HAVE BEEN REVEALED. VERY INTERESTING, GENTLEMEN. AN OVERWORLD TEAM VERSUS UNDERWORLD TEAM. THE TRIBES ARE MORTAL ENEMIES, AND THE PLAYERS APPEAR TO SHARE THOSE FEELINGS." Tom snickered quietly, the Drome Voice was having fun talking away. For a few seconds, Tom wondered if he just randomly waltzed into a Drome, would the Drome Voice strike up a conversation with him? He shook his head to clear it, think about that sort of thing later.

"HERCULEON, YOU ARE UNDEFEATED. YOU HAVE WON THE PRIVILEGE OF ATTACKING FIRST." Herculeon grinned while cracking his hands.

"Sweet." He spun the location scroller, and it landed on what looked like a waterfall into a marshland.

"THE FIRST BATTLE WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE RIVERLANDS, A BEAUTIFUL BUT POTENTIALLY TREACHEROUS LOCATION." Wow, the voice was a poet, huh? Tom thought sarcastically. "LET THE BATTLE BEGIN."

* * *

(For anyone who's watched this episode, the next couple of minutes involve Kaz and Herculeon trash-talkin' each other as Tom learns about the Cothica, this mysterious power source of Perim, and how every tribe wants it for themselves.

Ivan and Tom speculate that maybe the reason no one has ever seen the actual Cothica is because the Cothica hates being fought over and left because it was tired of the fighting. To which Peyton dumbly responds to by saying it sounds like an aggravated girlfriend, which leads to Sarah elbowing him so hard in the gut that he falls out of his chair.

During the final round, Herculeon whispers to Kaz that when he wins, Tom won't like him anymore because he was supposed to prove how his UnderWorld creatures were better. Herculeon continues on to say that when he wins, Tom will want to hang out with him instead of Kaz, because they both have OverWorld decks. He ends the taunting by head-locking Kaz/Takinom and hissing in his ear, "I wonder how good that buddy of yours is in bed?" which makes Kaz freak out and go to hell in a hamster ball on Herculeon.

Tom, of course, overhears what Herculeon is saying, because of that weird glitch of his, and decides that if Herculeon ever comes near him he'll let Pipori bite the bluenettes head off. The match builds to a crescendo as Kaz and Herculeon fall clawing at each other, and the screen fizzles as there is an explosion at the bottom of the statues. Kaz reappears as normal, and Herculeon is still in his creatures form, announcing to everyone that he is the victor. Tom gets angry and hurries to comfort his friend, not telling anyone about the comments he heard the now posing Herculeon made, because no one is supposed to know about his glitch besides him.)

* * *

Tom's P.O.V.

"KAZ!" I yelled as the red-head came stumbling out of the Drome. He fell against me as Herculeon walked out, wearing a smug grin on his face. Pipori and Ivan both growled at the same time, Sarah and Peyton settling with a glare at the bluenette.

"Kazzy? It's alright, the match is over. We can go now." He wasn't responding, and I realized he was still in post-defeat mode. I shook him exaggeratedly as I tried to snap him out of it. "C'mon, Kazzy it doesn't matter who won. You did your best, and everyone loses every once in a while, right?" I said, remembering my defeat at Peyton. Kaz suddenly straightened up, and - shoved me away.

"You don't get it, Tom." He said my name so angrily, it was almost a sneer. "I should've won. I shouldn't have lost so easily. Now..." He trailed off glaring at Herculeon, and if looks could kill, the other would've spontaneously burst into fire at this point.

"But it doesn't matter." I put my hand on his shoulder. "C'mon. Pipori-chan ate what was left of our pizza, but we can order another one-" He cut me off again, this time by shoving me so hard my back landed against the support pillar. Ice shot down my spine as I stared in shock at him, and everyone around us had become silent.

"YOU REALLY DON'T GET IT! I SHOULD HAVE WON!" He yelled at me. I was frozen for a moment, before my face flared and something wet slid down my cheek.

"...Fine." Kaz stared at me, his look of rage fading into one of horror. I pushed myself away from the pillar, feeling someone's hand on my arm. I looked to my left to see Herculeon.

"What kind of friend hurts you when their angry? That's an UnderWorlder for you." He said pompously. I didn't even bother holding back as I lifted my fist and slammed it into his jaw. He fell backwards, a spray of blood leaking out. He must've bitten his tongue.

"I heard you, you sick twisted sonuvabitch. I heard what you said to Kazzy, what you said to egg him on like that. Don't even think you can act all buddy-buddy to me after that." I turned to the still-stunned red-head.

"Kazzy...it's over. I never want to speak to you again." I brushed past him, heading towards the port-court. I didn't stop once, and when I finally got the the circle that would teleport me wherever, I heard Pipori chirp sadly. I pulled him off my head, ignoring the blur of color he'd become due to my tears.

"I'll take you home now, Pipori. Najaryn will be happy to see you, I think." I pressed down on the field card, watching as the flash of blue light encased me.

Then...

I was gone.

* * *

(Earth) Tom's P.O.V.

Kaz was acting weird. I mean, really weird. Pipori hadn't returned when he got back, his scanner going off, but neither had the ME in Chaotic. I jumped when Kaz suddenly got up and hugged me. He was trying not to cry, I could tell from the little sniffles he was making, and that made me worry a lot.

"Kazzy? What's wrong?" He shook his head, which was difficult as it was still buried in my shoulder. He let go and wiped his eyes.

"I have to go...I'll keep in touch, okay?" I gaped, what was with him all of the sudden? I tried to ask him, but he took off, not even looking back at me.

"Hey Tom. How are you?" Ivan greeted as his face lit up the screen. I frowned.

"Kaz is acting really weird. His Chaotic part came back, but mine didn't. Then he hugged me, which he hasn't done in forever, and then he just takes off like I said something mean to him." Ivan fidgeted, trying to be subtle. He wasn't very good at it, as I noticed.

"What happened? Ivan?" Ivan put his hands up. His eyes were big now, which meant he was probably about to cry.

"You...you just haven't come back from Perim yet, that's all. He's worried about you." I frowned again, and he quickly added. "We all are. Perim's pretty dangerous, especially around Lake Ken-i-po." I sighed, staring out the window at the fading red-haired figure.

"Okay...if you say so."

* * *

In Perim:

"SONUVABITCH! MOTHERFIUCKING-! JACKASSING WALNUT-FUCKER!" I screamed as I threw another stone into the gulley, pissed at Herculeon, at Kaz, and at myself. Pipori fluttered over my head worryingly, but the last creature who had tried to take me on was now nursing a broken tail. Along with a few sprained fingers.

"I would ask you to please stop, but I feel that you would not comply." I turned, ready to bite whoever's head off for interrupting my pity/rage party, but ended up dropping the stone I was holding.

"You have quite the tendency towards unhappy emotions, little one." Najaryn floated down next to me, holding out a hand for Pipori to land on. I shook my head, furious.

"I...I...I..." I had nothing to say. Every rage-filled word, every curse I knew, none could be said in Najaryn's presence. I gasped as a tendril of hat looked like blue smoke burst from his palm, and pressed against my forehead. It was cold, and for a second my sight went hazy and calm, the air around me cooling down.

'Little one...' Najaryn said in my mind, 'You have such rage towards yourself...I can't bear to watch you destroy yourself like this.' I cried out as the cold seeped into me, chilling the hot flashes of rage and anger. My teeth were still chattering as the tendril withdrew, letting me fall on my knees as I shook. Najaryn approached me silently.

"I am afraid of what you will do to yourself if you are unsupervised. Come back to my home, and rest for a while. Pipori would enjoy your company, I'm sure." I nodded, feeling the days' events catch up with me as I fell under the dark...

A FEW DAYS LATER:

I had stayed in Perim with Najaryn and Pipori for about three days now. The messengers he employed brought back a lot of stuff he had to fix, or a request for a potion or Mujic only he had access to. I sometimes helped, though it was only gathering things he needed when his attention was completely focused on whatever it it was he was focused on; otherwise he just about had a fit if I touched ANYTHING I wasn't allowed to. (Which was EVERYTHING except food.)

"Thomas? Could you fetch me the Cynkella droplets? They should be on the top right of the third shelf." I nodded and turned, gulping as I stared down my enemy.

Now, Najarin wasn't messy, it definitely wasn't that, but the shelves he had that the stuff rested on were almost as big as an elevator door. I had to get an enormous ladder that had wheels on it in order to get the things he asked for, but I made a noise of triumph as my hand closed around the thin jar of pink and green beads. They were the same size as Dractyl scales, but less messy, and felt more like expensive body oil than stinky goo.

I frowned at that train of thought; the last time I saw a Dractyl scale was-I forced my thoughts away as I pressed my feet on the ladder rungs and slid down the rest of the way. The first time I did this, Najaryn nearly had a heart-attack when I fell off, but I was too busy laughing at myself to care. I landed, and strolled over to where he was, handing over the Droplets.

"Here ya go, Najaryn. What exactly are you making, anyway?" I peered into the small cauldron. The liquid inside was pale purple, and smelled a bit like motor oil, but when Najaryn added the droplets it turned bright red and glowy, and smelled more like sea water now.

"You know that the Mipedian tribe is able to conceal their bodies with an in-bred Mujic, right?" I nodded, Najaryn had been teaching me about Mujic while I helped him.

"In-bred Mujic is an ability that a Creature has because its family or parents mastered that specific ability, right?" The blue-skinned Mujician nodded and carefully ladled some of the potion into a bottle. He twisted the cork in tightly.

"This potion, when thrown and broken near Mipedians, will render their invisibility Mujic null. It will cancel out their illusion of non-existence, and help to defeat them." I nodded.

"So, who ordered this anyway?" I tied a bag over the bottle, hiding the weird scarlet colored glow the potion emitted.

"I believe his name is Frafdo, one of the best fighters in the OverWorld army. He needs it to sneak into Prince Mudeenu's territory." I gasped, nearly dropping the bottle in surprise.

"Prince MUDEENU? What in the world could he possibly have to send Frafdo there?" Najarin frowned and turned away.

"He told me that a young Chaotic Player had promised him a map of the Cothica if he was allowed to scan Frafdo. The Player gave him only one half before the scan, and was going to give him the second piece after. However he says that the Player told him the second half was buried in the Mipedian Oasis, and went to retrieve it, only to have never returned." My mouth hung open in horror.

"Bu-But that means that Mudeenu must be holding the kid prisoner. Frafdo...is he going to use the potion to rescue the guy?" Najaryn shook his head sadly.

"No. He means to reclaim the other part of the map. But he does not have any regards towards the Player." I growled. _How can Frafdo just leave him there? OverWorlders are good guys, aren't they? They help us Chaotic players, right? _I straightened up.

"Najaryn, I'll take the potion to Frafdo, and make him swear to rescue that poor kid." Najaryn gave me a look that was raised eyebrow and somewhat amusement, then started to chuckle quietly.

"I was wondering when your hero-complex would come back." I blinked. Then turned red and began to sputter.

"I don't have a- Who told you-" He raised his hand in a placating gesture.

"Your friend Peyton has been here looking for you. He has been very worried about you, and your friend Kaz seems to be very upset about his actions and words." I gaped slightly, then turned away. I held the bottle tightly, willing my anger to fade.

"I...I don't care. Kaz...Kazzy went too far, so he can't get off that easy; I'm going to Frafdo, and I'll rescue that guy myself if I have to." I put the bottle in a small rucksack. I heaved it over my shoulder and strapped it around my chest. Pipori squealed, fluttering up to sit on my head. I pulled him off.

"Sorry Pipori, but it's going to be dangerous. I need you to stay here and watch Najaryn for me, okay?" He chirped morosely and I bowed to Najaryn. I picked up my Scanner from where it had been sitting on the table.

"I...I'm porting back home after this is over. So, I...I guess I'll see you in a while." I rubbed the back of my head nervously; would he still tolerate my presence after this? He looked down on me with a look that wasn't really one emotion or the other, before speaking in a soft tone.

"Do what you must, little one."

* * *

Kaz's P.O.V:

_'This totally BITES!_' Was his thought as Kaz scaled the tree to Dractyl's nest. Down below, Peyton was attempting to amuse Sarah by putting one of the black rubber gloves Kaz had brought to collect Dractyl scales on his head, and cluck and wiggle his arms like a chicken. It worked for a few seconds, then the glove deflated on his head, and Peyton clucked through a grin at it.

_'If only Tom were here. Even though this is disgusting as hell, I bet he would've liked to see H'earring_.' Kaz heaved himself over the edge of the nest, which looked like a stone-age cave, open mouth and everything piled into the corners.

"Huh?" Kaz blinked when he saw a fire-engine red something under a pile of scales. He hurriedly uncovered it and stuck it in his back pocket, before scooping up scales to put in the bag. A distant KRAW! alerted him to Dractyl's presence, and he jumped down the tree trunk, signaling to Peyton and Sarah that they had to get out of there.

"A Scanner? Yo, what would big bird need with a Scanner? The way the creators of Chaotic made them, the Scanners won't work for Creatures." Kaz shrugged at the brunettes' questioning. Ivan fidgeted, nibbling on a piece of pizza. They were back in the Port-Court, after giving the Dractyl scales to H'earring, and watching Peyton and Sarah gag at the gross raving rabbit of doom devour the bag. Kaz was examining the little machine.

"Who knows? The name on the back says Reggie1. Maybe I can ask Tom to help find this guy." Peyton choked on his drink.

"MajorT? I thought you guys hated each other." Kaz winced. Damn, he forgot to tell them...

"No. Apparently his Chaotic self never ported back, so Tom has no clue we're fighting right now. He still thinks we're best friends." Ivan frowned.

"You...You need to apologize to him. Both of him." All three occupants of the table turned to stare at the two-toned boy, who straightend up instead of slinking down like he normally would.

"T-Think about it. You're lying to stay friends with Tom back on Earth, and here in Chaotic you won't even go to see him. I think you're being a bit childish." Kaz gaped at Ivan, making the blue-eyed boy blush.

"You're right." All attention to Kaz. "I've been running away. Tom and I have been friends since we were four. We've never had a fight like this, and I'm scared that when I go to say sorry, he'll reject it and stop being my friend." Kaz stood up.

"But I have to face that, right? I have to be strong here." Kaz looked at the Scanner in his hand. "I'll tell him once I give this back to Reggie1. The Earth him first, and if he accepts it, I'll come back here and find the other Tom."

Ivan smiled and nodded. Peyton gave a dramatic applaud, ending with a fake tear wipe, which led to Sarah punching him in the arm. Kaz ported back to Earth, and ran to Tom's house.

* * *

"I'm amazed at how quickly this guy answered back to our e-mail." Tom said, sitting next to Kaz on Tom's porchstep. Kaz mumbled something unintelligent, pressing closer to his friend. Tom would say that having Kaz be so clingy to him was a bit annoying, but honestly he was more worried that annoyed.

"I wonder what he's like?" Kaz muttered again, only to stop mid-mumble as a fancy black car drove up to the curb. Kaz gaped at the shiny coat and antique style of the car. Was this kid rich or something?

They walked up to the door, and watched as the window slid down to reveal a pale blond boy in formal royal blue English attire. He had doe-blue eyes almost as dark as his clothes, and when he spoke it was clear where he came from.

"You're Kazdan Kalinkas. KidChaor!" He seemed excited to see Kaz. Kaz nodded and grinned.

"Yeah, I know." Kaz could tell already that they were going to get along.

"I'm Reginold Tevington. My screen-name's Reggie1. I got here as quickly as I could, but it's quite a trip from Londan." Tom frowned.

"England's a long way to come for a Scanner." He mused. Reggie shook his head, a sad look falling over his face.

"It isn't just the Scanner I came for. I came here to also get...a piece of myself."

A FEW MOMENTS LATER:

"Well, wish me luck. For all we know, you might've fallen into a ditch or something." Kaz said as he sent his Chaotic self to Perim. Tom scowled as he offered Reggie some cookies.

"Har Har." In Chaotic, Kaz nearly broke the sound barrier as he stormed towards Ruka, aka ChaoticCailey, to ask for a scan of Castle Bodhran. She snickered as she handed it to him, asking how he managed not to trip. He gave a non-chalant mutter, then took off towards the Transporters.

* * *

(Perim) Tom's P.O.V:

I winced as the desert sand whipped against my face. Though my eyes got a bit of protection from the goggles, my nose ears and mouth got buffered by the grains. I checked the map Najarin had given me of how to get the Castle Bodhran, where Frafdo was at waiting for the potion.

"Great, I might be a little lost..." I muttered as I waddled through the sand. The castle came into sight a few moments later, and I rounded the rock I had been walking against, only to walk straight into someone and fall down the hill. We rolled for a few moments, until we came to a stop a few feet from the doors. I spat out some sand and patted my clothes free of sand. I heard the other do the same.

"Itai, itai, are you okay?" I asked over my shoulder, then froze as I heard a familiar intake of air. I turned to see him.

"What are you doing here?" We yelled at the same moment. I glared at him, while he gave me a sad look.

"I'm taking a potion to Frafdo, and hopefully convince him to help free the Player that's locked up in Mudeenu's Castle." Kaz shook his head.

"I'm on my way to the castle to free Reggie already." I blinked.

"Reggie?" Kaz nodded.

"We've met him already, his name's Reginold Tevington, he's from England, and he needs his other scanner to get back to the other him because he had an accident on Earth, and now he's..." Kaz trailed off. I raised an eyebrow.

"He...He's in a wheelchair now." My jaw dropped. I frowned at the sand, then looked up at him.

"Alright. I'll work with you, but the minute Reggie's free I'm porting back so I can hate you on both sides." He didn't answer, and had a look of horror on his face. I felt a spike of icy terror go down my back, and turned to see a plasma arror aimed at my face.

'Aw, nuts...'

* * *

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	5. Chapter 5: Honors, Truths, and Horrors!

Okay, yes this isn't the last one, and the next chapter will have the conclusion. But, meanwhile, QUESTION TIME: Will Tom forgive Kaz? Who was sticking a plasma arrow at them? Will Reggie get his memories from Chaotic back? Why am I asking you this? Who wants cookies?

Tom: If you're done, I'd like to know who was threatening me.

Kaz: Yeah, and I wanna know if we go back to being friends!

Reggie: And I want to know if they get my memories back!

(prods all three with cattle pokers.)

Settle down, now. You'll all learn your fates in this chapter. And a little more background on the two main home boys. Just a bit though, I don't want to reveal everything.

Tom: Then why- MMPH!(is suddenly gagged and bound)

Kaz: TOM! (rushes to help him)

Alright, Everybody!

Chaptah!

STARTO!

* * *

(Earth) Tom's P.O.V:

Kaz was pacing like a dead man, while Reggie examined the knick-knacks in my room. I had gone downstairs and fixed a snack, and came back into my room just as Kaz exploded at his Scanner.

"WHY AREN'T WE BACK YET?" He shook the machine back and forth like how one would strangle another person. I sighed as his dramatics.

"Kazzy, just chill. It might take awhile to bust Reggie out, remember? This is Mipedian territory we're talking about." He plopped down on my bed, and Reggie wheeled himself forward to the table I pulled out. I offered him a cookie that Mom had made earlier, and as Kaz groaned I poured the blond some green tea I made.

"I actually expect us to show up much later than now." He took a sip, being careful of the temperature. "My, this tea is delicious! Thank you, Thomas. I say, you'd beat the pantaloons off any tea-chef if you came to London." I blushed while grinning.

"Aw, shucks. You're making me blush." Kaz got up and plopped down next to me, grabbing at least four cookies and stuffing three in his mouth immediately.

"KAZ! Don't be such a pig! Leave some for Reggie or I'll hit you!" Kaz made a 'munph!' noise, his mouth still crammed with cookies, and Reggie began to chuckle at our banter.

"It's nice to know that even though you two support different tribes, you're still such good friends." Kaz froze, a look of horror on his face, before it disappeared and was replaced with a goofy grin. He hugged my shoulders.

"Why would different tribes have to affect our friendship? I mean, just because UnderWorlders are better than OverWorlders-" I stuffed another two cookies in his mouth.

"Stow it, Einstein 3.0, I already know where this is going." He managed to grin around the cookies, and made to lunge at me. I shrieked and dove behind Reggie.

"Heph! Nom oosin' Weggie af a field!(Hey, no usin' Reggie as a shield!)" He growled, then downed some tea to help the sweets go down and hydrate his mouth. I was giggling uncontrollably, and Reggie was full out laughing at us. I looked at him as he calmed down and smiled at him.

"No need to worry. Reggie. If there's one thing Kaz and I always follow, it's 'Never give up our Scanners.' We'll be back in time for dinner." Reggie smiled, and took out a deck of Chaotic cards. We began to play an old-school game version of Chaotic. I glanced at Kaz, then at Reggie. At the same time, we chanted:

"One, two, three, four! I declare Chaotic WAR!"

* * *

(Perim)

"What happened to, 'we never give up our Scanners', HUH?" I scowled as I felt the rough stone under my hand scratching at my clothes. I blinked, trying to listen to Kaz pacing around the cell madly.

"Hey, that was before Frafdo aimed that Plasma Arrow at us! I surrendered so we wouldn't get hurt!" His voice was above me. I figured from the initial feel of the room that there were low ledges for prisoners to sit on, and the windows were barred and placed high above our heads. I pulled off the goggles and shook them angrily.

"And why the hell aren't these things working?" I felt his hands close over mine, and I growled. The warmth disappeared.

"I think it's because you don't have your Scanner. The Mujic-Specs are honed in on a signal that your Scanner gives off, and since it got taken away, the goggles don't have any feed." I growled again, letting my face fall into my hands.

"Great. We're fighting, Frafdo might not let us out, and I'm blind until I get my scanner back. How can this get any worse?" Kaz sat down next to me. I snarled and pushed him away.

"Tom, please-" I held up my middle finger in his general direction.

"I. Don't. Want. To. Hear. It. I'm still completely pissed at you. You promised me that you would never lose your temper like that again." Kaz stood up, and I jumped as my wrists were pinned to my seat.

"Tom. I'm SORRY. I don't know how I can say it any other way. But right now we need to work together and make Frafdo let us go, so we can head to Mudeenu's castle and free Reggie." His hands reached up and locked onto my forearms. "I need you on this."

I cringed, he was using that tone on me. The same tone that Dad used on me when I threw a fit. I hadn't heard it in years, but now instead of calming me down, it made me even angrier.

"No!" I threw off his hands, and was only slightly aware of the sound of footsteps coming towards our cell. "You are NEVER to use that tone on me! No one! No one but Dad can use it! I can't believe you'd sink so low!" I growled.

"In case you weren't aware Tom, your Dad isn't here anymore! It's time time to accept that, and move on! I thought you were over it, but I guess you're still hanging onto that, aren't you!" Kaz yelled back at me. The door opened and I actually heard Kaz freeze in place. I already had my fists in the air, though, and screeched at Kaz.

"WELL DAMMIT, IT'S YOUR FAULT HE'S DEAD IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

* * *

Third-Person P.O.V:

Frafdo stiffened, as did Maxxor. Dead? Who was dead? It was the red-haired humans fault? The human boy sagged, a look of horror, agony, and guilt heavy in his brown eyes.

"...I...I know." The other boy, tan skin and long black hair, dropped his arms and clapped a hand to his mouth.

"...Sh...Shit." They stood there, moments ticking by, before the second boy turned to the wall. "I still hate you." The first boy cringed visibly, and a small feeling of sympathy passed through the two OverWorlders.

"I know." Frafdo cleared his throat. The two turned their heads towards him, the first boy's jaw dropping in amazement, the second only wearing an expression of confusion.

"All hail the ruler of the OverWorld!" Frafdo cawed as he stepped aside to let Maxxor into the room. The green Creature took in the faces of the two humans.

"It's Maxxor..." The red-haired human breathed. The other human tilted his head, smirking mischievously.

"Really? I hadn't realized there was another 'Ruler of the OverWorld'." The red-head gave his companion a flat look, reached out to smack him, then retracted his hand.

"I really wish it wasn't illegal to smack blind people." The other boy smirked.

"Actually, it isn't. You're just too much of a pansy." Maxxor blinked. Blind? He looked closer at the second boy. His ice-blue eyes were clouded, and Maxxor's own gold eyes widened. He really is blind...

"Anyway." The red-head turned to face the two OverWorlders. "Please, Frafdo, Maxxor. We really need to go to Mudeenu's Castle. Our friend Reggie-" Frafdo cut him off with an angry squawk.

"That human! He promised me the map to the Cothica! That little thief!" The blind boy frowned, then turned away. Maxxor glowered and addressed the cowering red-haired boy.

"We trusted a human. We won't make that same mistake again." The red-head shrank away from Maxxor, but the blind one didn't even flinch.

"...You can trust us." The voice was quiet, so low Frafdo wasn't even sure at first that the boy had spoken at all. He was staring in their direction, but even with his sightless state, it felt like somehow, just somehow, he was really looking at them.

"Reggie was captured by Mudeenu. So it's only common sense to say that Mudeenu has the other half of the map too, right? We all go and storm the castle, we get Reggie, and you get the map. No brainer!" Frafdo growled and lunged forward.

"Watch your tongue, human! Learn your manners in front of the OverWorld leader!" He pushed the red-head hard, and the boy fell to the ground with a whimper of fear. The blind boy lunged forward, almost clocking Frafdo with his fist. Though the move incensed the OverWorlder, he was numbly impressed by the reflexes of this human.

"Why should we show YOU any respect? You haven't given us any! You throw us in a jail cell, you take away our Scanners, and you threaten us when we're defenseless! And to think, I used to brag about how great you both are! Especially you." He had turned to Maxxor to say the final sentence. Maxxor, however was distracted by movement out of the corner of his eye. He tried to follow the hazy shape, before pinning it behind the blind boy.

"We aren't your enemies! We just came to help a friend! You should know what thats like!" The boy barely had any warning after his tirade ended before Maxxor blasted the wall behind him with a Pebble Storm. The wall collapsed, and a Mipedian, which had previously been invisible, gained its color and fled through the hole.

* * *

"A Mipedian spy!" Frafdo cried in anger, giving chase out the opening. Maxxor watched him go, before turning to the stunned boy. A small cut on his cheek was dripping red, and the boy seemed to have gone catatonic judging from the stunned look on his face. His mouth was slightly opened, and his eyes were wide.

"TOM? TOM!" The red-head got up, and began to shake the boy by the shoulders. When Tom didn't responded, the red-head turned to Maxxor with hysteria in his eyes. "You BROKE him! Tom, please respond. Say something!" A few more shakes...

"Something..." The grin that appeared two seconds later earned Tom a flat look from his comrade and a shove face-down in the floor.

"He's alright, never mind." The red-head looked angry, but Maxxor saw the underlying relief in both the boys voice and facial features. Tom giggled and grabbed onto the wall to get up. They almost looked at each other, smiling before a comprehensive look came over them and they turned away. Both had the most agonized looks on their faces.

Maxxor frowned; it was common for Chaotic players to fight when they supported different tribes, he had seen it before, but it was more than obvious that these two wanted to be friends again. Whatever had transpired between them was bad enough that they were acting so uneasy with each other even in a situation he'd seen other Players ban together.

Frafdo reappeared at the opening by hurling himself onto the floor, his eyes narrowed. "It was Zhade, a Mipedian Stalker. He used his invisibility to get away, but he dropped this." The eagle-themed OverWorlder held out a piece of dark blue cloth, that had a yellow eye insignia on it. Maxxor glared when he saw it.

"Mudeenu's crest. His fortress is near the Mipedian Oasis." Tom blinked, having no clue what that meant. Kaz, however, jumped in.

"That's where Reggie told you he hid the other piece of the map." Maxxor narrowed his eyes.

"The Mipedians must know we have half of the map." He growled, glaring at the humans. "The human boy must've given them the other piece." Kaz straightened up.

"No way. The Mipedians must've stolen it from him. Let's just go find it and save Reggie." He ended by crossing his arms, which to other humans would signify the end of the discussion. Not in Perim.

"Mudeenu's fortress is in the heart of Mipedian territory. This may be a trap." Frafdo squawked. Maxxor growled again. Yet another complication.

"If there is a chance of finding the Cothica, we have to take it. Even if it IS a trap..." Suddenly struck by earlier words, Maxxor turned to the boys. "And you two are coming with us." Tom's jaw dropped in silence, while Kaz smiled nervously.

"Excellent. Just give us back our Scanners, and let's roll." Maxxor towered above them, and Kaz wilted.

"So you can disappear like the other one?" The OverWorld leader was more than agitated at this point. "I don't think so."

Kaz gulped, but glanced over at Tom. "Alright, then just his." Maxxor rounded on the human, halting when Kaz held up his hand. "His goggles, those on his head? They only work when they're connected to his Scanner. And it'll be difficult to get through safely with him blind as a...well, blind person." Tom sniggered quietly, but sobered up when he realized what Kaz was doing.

"And how do we know that he won't just leave you to get away?" Frafdo squaked. Tom let out a very low growl.

"Then I'll swear on the Warrior's Code that I won't leave because I can." Both OverWorlders nearly lost their balance - the Warrior's Code was binding in their world, and a human was swearing on it? It had to be a trap.

Even so..."Frafdo, go get his Scanner." The eagle overworlder gaped at his leader. "Now!" Frafdo scurried away. Tom kept his gaze level with Maxxor's, as Kaz cowered behind the other Player.

* * *

Tom's P.O.V. :

I jumped as the familiar shape of my Scanner was suddenly pressed into my hands. I pressed down on the icon at the same time pressing the button on my goggles. The zap! came easy now, and as I opened my eyes the first thing I registered was Kaz.

"Well?" He fidgeted, obviously he truly believed I was leaving him alone. I turned away and addressed Frafdo, and my very idol, Maxxor.

"Alright. Let's go." Frafdo snarled, stepping forward to start a fight with me about commanding them, but Maxxor held him back. I stared at him, never flinching even when Kaz's hands closed around my arm.

"Can we truly trust you?" The OverWorld leader asked. I tilted my head down, keeping my eyes locked on his.

"I can't say I'm staying for him-" I jerked my head back at Kaz, "-But I made a promise to Reggie, and if there's one thing I'm known for, it's keeping what I say in check." Kaz pulled on my arm slightly, worried about how close Frafdo looked to killing us both. But Maxxor nodded and began to walk out of the room.

Meanwhile:

"UGH!" The disgusted screech rang out from Dractyl's nest as Ivan stepped on yet another scale, which burst under his foot. He looked up to see his brother and Sarah searching the ground carefully, and suddenly realized he probably should have done that too. Peyton looked up and grinned at his little brother.

"I know, right? Gnarly dude." Ivan made a disgusted face. "Hey, we really don't need ya freaking out on us bro. Besides, don'tcha hang around those other two dudes now?"

"Ruka and Riley? Yeah, they're cool, but I started playing because I wanted to spend time with you, bro." Ivan's speech was more like his brother's now, surfer slang and random noises were yet foreign to him still. Ruka, ChaoticCailey, was currently back at the PortCourt, with their new friend Riley, or as his screen-name announced him to be JupiterZap, who had been there when Herculeon had decided to split up their group. The mocha-skinned teen had waited until the bluenette rose from the ground, before kicking him straight between the legs.

"Well, go play with them." Peyton made shooing motions. Ivan's face fell, which made Peyton stop and sigh. "I was trying to keep this quiet, but... listen Ivan. Things are about to get real, excuse the pun, Chaotic pretty soon. As in, we're gonna face down with THE Prince Mudeenu." The smaller brunette gulped audibly; Mudeenu was famous among the Mipedian supporters as being ruthless and cunning.

"M-Mudeenu?" Peyton nodded.

"So, until I call on my Scanner, I want you to port back, and stay with them two. Got it?" Ivan nodded hesitantly. Peyton swung his arm out, and the younger rushed forward to give his brother a hug.

"Be careful, bro." Peyton chuckled. Ivan stood back and in a flash of blue, he was gone. Sarah looked up from her search spot.

"You too seem close. How come we didn't know about you guys?" Peyton scuffed his foot against the floor.

"Ivan...When we were kids, my mom and dad decided to split. Dad got Ivan and Mom got me. We kept in touch through e-mail and stuff, but I never imagined he'd start playing Chaotic like me." Sarah's face fell a bit; separated because of their parents, it made sense that Ivan wasn't more like Peyton at first. She turned back to the ground.

"We better hurry. Dractyl will be back soon, and-" Peyton interrupted her.

"Just keep looking Sarah, Reggies Scanner's gotta be somewhere in all this goo." He pulled apart some leaves covered in aforementioned goo. " 'Sides, there's no way Dractyl's comin' back this time a day." Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Like you know everything about him."

"Well, as it turns out-" Peyton never finished, because at that moment something and red came crashing through the roof, cawing loudly at them.

"CRAW! INTRUDERS! CAW! CAW!"

* * *

Meanwhile back with Tom:

"Is that your friend? Be certain - the Mipedians are masters of disguise." Maxxor said quietly while handing Kaz the Munoculars, and a moment later he handed the Munoculars back, nodding.

"That's him." I looked next, and gasped when I saw him. A frail looking blond haired boy was clutching the bars sadly, his deep blue eyes staring at the ground several hundred feet below. _'So that's Reggie_...' I thought. _'I'm going to rescue you. Don't worry, okay?'_ As though he could hear my thoughts, he glanced up at the sky.

"If he has the map, we'll rescue him." Maxxor said. I frowned and looked at him.

"But, even if he doesn't have it, we''re still rescuing him." The green creature turned to me, and I glared harshly, challenging him to say anything.

"You Chaotic players think this world is a game-" I cut him off with a snarl.

"IT ISN'T A GAME! Not to me, or Kaz, or any of our friends! We know how real this place - you guys- are, and we understand the trouble you live through! We know..." I stopped, my throat beginning to close up again. Kaz was not there to help me, but I managed to get my body under control.

"This place...We love it, we love Perim, and the tribes, even if you guys don't get along. That's why...That's why we come here, why we try to get along with you Creatures." My eyes were burning, but I held my gaze on Maxxor's stunned expression.

"Reggie knows that too. That's why we have to save him. Because he's also someone who loves Perim." I ended quietly. Maxxor was silent, before he turned to stare at the fortress built into the rock. Frafdo had gone back to make sure we had no one following us, taking Kaz along with him.

"I will do everything I can for your friend, but the good of my tribe comes before anything else." Frado came up to us just as Maxxor stopped talking, Kaz gasping for air behind him. As Frafdo waked up to Maxxor, Kaz leaned on me for support as he tried to catch his breath, and to my credit I didn't step away and let him fall face first into the sand.

"We were not followed. We have the advantaghe of surprise over the Mipedians." He squawked excitedly. Maxxor nodded.

"Let's get this done quickly. Frafdo, take this one-" he pointed at me, "- and create a diversion. Lead the guards away. The other one and I will enter the fortress and get the map." Kaz gulped, and for the first time since we started fighting, I reached up and clasped our hands together. He looked at me in surprise. I quickly took my hand off, glaring at him to convey the message: You better not get Coded. He returned it with a look of his own: I wanted to say the same thing.

"The Spectral Viewers will allow us to see the Mipedians if they use their invisibility on us." I turned and choked down my horror as Frafdo held out what looked like a reptilian skull with a gun secured through it, teeth still in tact. The end of the 'gun' had a giant green eye that I could swear was staring at me.

'O-oh god...' I clapped my hand to my mouth in horror, and as the other three watched I ran behind the rock we were standing near and threw up whatever was left in my gut after the earlier scare. Kaz patted me sympathetically on the back, and after I finished heaving I saw out of the corner of my eye that Maxxor and Frafdo were giving me the same look, only slightly hidden by looks of disgust.

"Luh-let's go." I wobbled, shaken by the horrifying item. I edged around the creepy tool and started after Frafdo, only to stop near Maxxor.

"I have a name, you know. It's Tom...Tomiko Majors. And you better remember it." I took off again after Frafdo, and later on Kaz would tell me that Maxxor had smirked slightly when I turned to run.

* * *

Normal P.O.V. :

The Mipedian guards were just standing around, smoking doobies(3) when they suddenly spotted a boy running across the sand, Frafdo the OverWorlder chasing after him.

"COME BACK! That map is mine!" He shot an arrow at the human, who dodged the projectile that was aimed at his arm, and kept running. The guards shrugged, and gave chase to the two.

Maxxor and Kaz peered up from the old well they had been hiding behind, and Maxxor held the Spectral Viewer to his eye. The green tint revealed nothing that was there.

"Wait here until I signal for you." The OverWorld leader grumbled quietly. He leapt into the air, and Kaz grinned slightly as he took in the sight of the leader displaying his power.

"Not bad, for an OverWorlder." The red-head muttered quietly. The Creature landed several feet away, looking through the viewer again. Without warning, a giant explosion lit up the sky above them, and Maxxor cried out as the sparks rained down on him. He shook it off, muttering about traps, and started forward again. Kaz dug out the extra Viewer and quickly zoomed in on the rock Frafdo and Tom were to hide under. He saw them approach it - and gasped in horror as several Mipedians took them by surprise, climbing over the rock to jump on the two.

"That must've been some kind of knock-out Mujic!" Kaz uttered.

(Tiny Ruka chibi poofs into sight: And now, time for a Quick Lesson! Knock-Out Mujic is a type of Mujic that can cancel out the abilities of some weapons, armor, or even other Mujic. It has a low chance of working if it doesn't hit the target exactly, so be sure you have great aim!)

"It's not affecting my viewer because I was out of range." He yanked the gadget off his face. "This IS a trap!" He jumped over the rock, and used as much of his breath as he could to yell a warning." MAXXOR! THERE'S ONE RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!" The warning came too late; Maxxor was suddenly blasted by a shot of purple flame, and Tom just barely got out of the way as the Mipedians dog-piled Frafdo. He ran fast, running to get to Kaz, only to watch as Kaz took a shot to the chest.

* * *

Tom's P.O.V. :

I ran as fast as my legs would allow, watching eight directions at once as Maxxor fought Mudeenu, and Frafdo tried in vain to pull the lizard creatures off. My knees hit the ground as I dodged a shot and I crawled the rest of the to Kaz, wondering why he hadn't gotten up yet. I pulled on his shoulder, only to yelp weakly; my hand was sticky and wet, and I slowly held it up as my brain registered what was going on.

Red.

Red blood, oozing out of his chest from the shot. I was aware of Kaz whining quietly in pain, and of my fingers trembling as I watched him bleed out on a battlefield. A battle that shouldn't concern us. I pressed my hands over the wound, trying to stop the flow.

"Onegai...Please...Don't die Kazzu..." I gasped out. Red was welling up under my hands, warm and sticky. I was barely aware of taloned fingers suddenly clenched on my shoulders, but hazily registered someone talking.

"Leave them together. Chain them up side by side." And then, I wasn't aware of anything.

* * *

(Normal P.O.V.)

Kaz woke up with a blinding pain in his side. He gritted his teeth as he tried to recall what had happened. They had split up with Maxxor and Frafdo, then there was a light, then...Oh God, Tom! The Mipedans had attacked them, and he remembered being blasted by an attack from Mudeenu.

_'T-Tom_?' One brown eye opened, only for Kaz to flinch spectacularly at the sight of Tom bent over him. After a few seconds, he realized the Asian boy wasn't moving, and his eyes were blank and unseeing. He took the moment to take in the situation: He had chains on his hands, and his stomach hurt less now. His head was resting on Tom's lap, and Maxxor and Frafdo were nearby, whispering quietly.

"W-wha-" Kaz started to say, only to be cut off by a violent fit of coughing. The two looked over at him.

"You're awake now?" He nodded as gently as he could, then rolled his wrist to point at Tom.

"What happened to him?" Frafdo's face suddenly fell.

"I think it might be shock. He's been like that since you were hit by that Flash Kick attack." Kaz shifted and winced, there was dried blood around the wound that itched, but past experience taught him that scratching was out of the question.

"W-Where are we?" Maxxor glared at the various Mipedians guarding them.

"Inside their fortress. They took us prisoner in exchange for sparing you two." Kaz frowned. Frafdo looked at the boy.

"When we entered your cell...He said something about you killing another person." Kaz cringed visibly.

"No...Not exactly. But I blame myself for it. Tom's dad died protecting Tom from something stupid that was my fault in the first place." Kaz closed his eyes sadly. "Something I still haven't forgiven myself for. But, I made a promise to Tom that I'd protect him, no matter what. Looks like I broke it, though."

They were interrupted by the CLANG of the door, and looked over to see Reggie being led by Mudeenu. The blond was roughly shoved to the ground in front of them, Tom not even so much as flinching when the pale hand hit his side.

"Reggie!" Kaz uttered, able to breathe and talk now. The blond lifted his line of sight towards him, taking in the blood on his clothes.

"What happened to you?" Kaz shook his head. He pushed himself up with a hiss of pain, hoping the wound wouldn't open up again. He scooted closer to Reggie.

"Forget about it. Are you alright?" Reggie sat up.

"Yes. But, who are you? Do I know you?" Tom shifted slightly, and Kaz raised his voice hoping it would startle him into reality.

"Back home you do. We're here to rescue you." Kaz took another look at Tom, the chains on their hands, and cringed. "Guess we're failing pretty epically huh?" Mudeenu growled low, interrupting them.

"Enough! Where is the other half of the map?" The reptilian leader snarled. Maxxor gave him a cheeky look and shrugged.

"What map?" Snarling louder, Mudeenu snatched the front of Tom's shirt and held him up. The boy was still not coherent, otherwise he'd be screaming his head off at this point.

"Give it to me, or the boy will suffer." Maxxor flinched, why did the humans always get involved?

"One..." Kazlunged forward, only to gasp in pain as the wound opened slightly and red dripped from his middle. Reggie's jaw dropped and he helped pull Kaz into a more comfortable stance that didn't put so much weight on the injury.

"Two..." Maxxor had the innermost turmoil going on in his head. Tom had said he'd do everything he could for Perim, but when it was his life or the way to the Cothica, what was the OverWorlder supposed to do? Mudeenu raised his claws to Tom's neck.

"ALRIGHT! Spare him." Tom was thrown to the ground, and Kaz crawled toward him, pulling the unconscious boy back to Reggie. There was no more words spoken, though, as a loud CAW! pierced the air and a Water Shot blasted Mudeenu backwards. Kaz and Reggie gaped upward in amazement as Dractyl, carrying his entire nest, flew towards them.

"Do I always have to save the day?" A familiar voice called out, and Kaz grinned as Sarah and Peyton, using Spectral Viewers, blasted at the Mipedians. Peyton let out a whoop of joy, "Woohoo! Surf's up!" as the lizard creatures began to flee.

"Fall back! Hold the fort until reinforcements arrive!" Mudeenu shouted, leaping away as Sarah aimed a blast at his feet. Dractyl landed the nest gently, cawing loudly at the Mipedians still nearby. Peyton and Sarah jumped off and ran to the prisoners.

"What happened to ya, dude? And what's up with MajorT?" Maxxor broke the chains on his hands.

"I got hit by a Flash Kick, and Tom went into shock because of all the blood." Sarah looked confused as she helped break the chains on said catatonic boy.

"He's hemaphobic?" Kaz winced as Frafdo slashed at his chains, freeing the red-head's hands.

"Not...exactly." He looked at Maxxor.

"I need my Scanner. I can help port Tom back to our world." Frafdo flexed his fist.

"We hide it back at the rendezvous point. We had to make sure you two weren't going to run for it in battle. Kaz scowled.

"Great, we stay with you, we both end up getting hurt and you still don't trust us!" Maxxor gave a look to the red-head, an expression of...guilt?

"Kaz, you and Tom have both provenyourselves beyond what I thought possible. Now, I'd like to return the favor." He pulled out a blue glowing Mujic Ring. He forced energy into it, making the ring light up brilliantly. Kaz peered at the Mujic with squinted eyes, and saw that it was a pink blob with smaller blobs that resembled flowers.

"Song of Resurgence! Heal the one called Kaz." The glow covered Kaz, and he felt the wound heat up and disappear. The light faded, revealing him to be fully healed.

"That really helped! Thanks Maxxor." Peyton pointed to Tom. He was still staring blankly into space, the cut on his cheek dried already.

"But what about MajorT? He's still all loopy." Kaz walked over and crouched in front of him. He put his hands on both of Tom's shoulder and shook him.

"Tom, listen to me. I know you hear me, so wake up. We're in danger right now, and I really need you to snap out of it and help."

* * *

In Tom's mind:

Tom was sitting cross legged in the middle of a giant white room. He blinked, feeling calm and serene for absoltely no reason at all. Suddenly, the quietest murmur echoed through the room.

_'My fault...my fault..._' Tom tilted his head.

"Hello?" The murmur faded, only to come back a few moments later, louder this time.

_'Guess we're failing pretty epically, huh_?' The tone was joking, but there was an edge of panic to it. Tom tried to stand up, only to find his legs wouldn't work.

_'Tom..._' He blinked. There was something in front of him.

_'Tell me, or the boy will suffer_!' He felt himself being lifted then set down again. The figure was closer now.

"Wake up..." It was hazy, but as he reached out, it became more defined.

"I need you...Tom...Help us..." Tom grabbed hold of the figure, which had become a shape he recognized.

"Kazzy?"

* * *

Tom's P.O.V. :

"TOM!" I blinked as I snapped out of the trance I had been in. Kaz was in front of me, holding my shoulders. I looked past him to see Peyton and Sarah, along with Reggie, as well as Maxxor and Frafdo. They were all staring me.

"What...happened?" I asked, putting a hand over my eyes when I realized it hurt to look any where at this point. Peyton and Sarah were giving me this weird look, and Kaz shook my shoulders again.

"Tom, listen to me; we're in Mudeenu's fortress. Dractyl brought Sarah and Peyton to help, but Mudeenu called in at least three huge armies to take us out. I'm healed up again, and we have only a few Mujics left." I blinked, stood up, and started pacing.

"What's he doing?" I heard Maxxor ask Kaz quietly. I could imagine the grin on his face.

"Tom's a major in strategies, pardon the pun. He helped me win against most of my matches when we were little." I held my thumb towards Dractyl, who stared at me in confusion. Meanwhile, Sarah handed Reggie his Scanner, which he took with a happy look on his face.

"Here ya go Reggie." He stared at the little device, then up at us.

"Thank you, but why are you all helping me?" I looked over at him in surprise.

"Because you asked us too, silly. Back on Earth. You better port out of here, things are about to get messy." He looked down at the ground for a moment. He looked back up and stepped forward.

"I'm staying." Sarah stepped forward too, her hand on her hip.

"Me too." Peyton jumped in front of them, causing Sarah to glare at him, and Reggie gave him an odd look.

"Wouldn't be a party without yours truly." Kaz pushed him away, and put a hand on Reggie's shoulder. The blond looked back and smiled.

"We're all staying." They all nodded, staring at me with confidence in their eyes. I smiled back, feeling the warmth of our bonds. Maxxor put his hand on my shoulder.

"Tom, Kaz...from friends of yours, I wouldn't expect anything less." That made us grin. I glanced once more at Dractyl, before it hit me. I let out a whoop of victory, making everyone stare at me weirdly.

"I got a plan, but..." I looked over at Maxxor and Frafdo. "You'll have to trust me on it." They grinned.

(A)(Few)(Minutes)(Later)...

"...I'll go down in history as Mudeenu the Magnificent! The Mipedian who defeated Maxxor!" We heard as we rose from the ground. I rolled my eyes.

"Someone sure has a fetish for tongue-twisters." I whispered to the others. The Creatures gave me blank looks, while the others tried in vain to hide their sniggering.

Maxxor lit up a blast of fire in his hand, just as we flew into sight of Mudeenu. "Think again Mudeenu!" The lizards jaws dropped as they took in the sight of a much larger Dractyl holding the nest in his claws, as we grinned in triumph. "You're just...going down!" Maxxor called cheekily as he flung the fireball at Mudeenu. I rolled my eyes again.

"Lame..." Maxxor turned to me with a put-out look, and I raised my hands in a 'I kid, I kid...' gesture grinning widely.

"See ya, Mudeenu!" Peyton cat-called as we soared away from the castle. I grinned as Dractyl gave a loud caw of joy, glancing over to Maxxor, who was hanging onto the vines holding the nest up.

"Told ya." He shook his head, then looked over to me.

"It was a great idea, using Fortissimo on Dractyl to help him carry us out." I craned my neck to look up at the red bird who had a look of delight as we sailed overhead.

"I figured there was a time for fight, and a time for flight." Dractyl gave a cawing laugh, and we flew over the Mipedians heads. After a little distance had been put between us, Dractyl landed the nest so the humans could jump off.

"Your Scanner is hidden behind that rock." Frafdo said, pointing towards the rock he and I had stopped under. Kaz ran to get it, while I turned to Maxxor, finally able to relish a fanboy moment. He looked so cool, his skin green with purple markings. His eyes were gold, with a red ring near his pupils. I frowned as a sudden thought occurred to me.

"Maxxor, what about the map? The Mipedians have one half, and you have the other." Maxxor seemed to wince.

"Not for long." He held the paper tightly, and I gasped as it burst into flame. The others echoed my horror.

"What did you do that for?" Reggie said while pointing angrily at the leader. I suddenly got the image of an angry hissing kitten in my head, and somehow resisted the temptation to both laugh loudly, and bang my head on the nearest hard object.

"When it comes to the Cothica, better for it to be in no ones hands than the wrong hands." I nodded, then suddenly doubled over in pain clutching my head.

'**_Correct..._**' a voice, not loud, but very powerful, whispered in my mind. I gasped, hunched over as Peyton and Sarah worriedly asked what was wrong. Kaz jogged back, and only saw me bent over.

"Whats a matter, Tom? Your old age catching up to ya?" I felt my eye twitch.

"Ya bet ya sorry ass, whippahsnappah!" I did my impression on an old man with a cane, putting my hand on my back and clenching it to complete the illusion. "Now, go draw my hot water fer my sponge bath. And don't ferget the bubbles this time!" Everyone got the joke this time, and even Dractyl joined in laughing.

"Now, let's get out of here before that Mujic wears off and I have to walk." That sent us into even more giggles, and Dractyl lifted the nest, along with his two passengers into the air. I waved at them, before remembering something that made me flip.

"Maxxor, wait! I need a Scan of you!" He waved at me teasingly.

"We'll meet again my friends. Safe journey!" I gaped as they flew away, and Kaz put his hand on my shoulder.

"How'd you lose your Maxxor Scan?" I looked over at him.

"Well, when I realized that Ruka didn't have any more Scans of Castle Bodhran, she mentioned this guy named Bruiser33. I traded him Maxxor for the scan of Castle Bodhran." I put my hands on my face in horror. "Now I don't have him in my deck, AND I could've scanned him while we were with them!"

"Harsh bro. Let's port back to Chaotic, and you can mope over a Perim Pizza, m'kay?" Peyton suggested. Reggie nodded, and in a few flashes of light we were back in the port-court. Ivan, Ruka, and Riley were waiting for us, and Ivan stormed over the minute he saw us. He gave us glances, as though to ask 'well?'.

"Yeah. We oughta make it official." I turned to Kaz.

"Kaz...even though by all rights I should still be mad at you, I want to be friends again. Can we go back to that?" He smiled and opened his arms. We hugged, and everyone around us gave a collective 'Aww..." I gave them the finger.

"Ugh! NO!" Riley suddenly shrieked. We stared at him. "No! No Brokeback Mountain!" Kaz and I stared at him, then each other, then I pushed Kaz away, letting him fall face first into the ground. My face was bright red, and Riley was laughing loudly at us. Reggie was smiling, when Ivan scooted up next to him.

"So, Reggie, want to our friend?" He gave alook of shock to him, then looked around at all of us. He gave an easy smile.

"I think I'd like that. You lot seem to have quite a lot of adventures." Ivan squealed and gave the surprised British boy a hug, which he uneasily returned. Then Ruka yelled 'DOG-PILE!' to which she and Riley jumped on the poor unsuspecting player.

Kaz, Sarah, Peyton, and I laughed at them, watching as Reggie attempted to worm out from under the group of bodies. No way.

"King of the hill!" I yelled, jumping on top. Reggie let out an 'Oof!' and I started giggling. Kaz dove at us next.

"Dive-Bomber!" Sarah shrugged and followed next.

"Queen of the mound!" She sat on top of us.

"My turn!" Peyton announced, making us all pale, scream "NO!" and hurriedly untangle. He gave us a miffed look, which made us laugh harder.

(Back on Earth)

"You know, this is a big trial we passed." Kaz gave me a weirded out look as we waved good-bye to Reggie.

"What does that mean?" I shrugged.

"Well, this is the first time in a long time I talked about my dad. It still hurts, but thanks to you being around, it doesn't hurt as much. And we're back to being friends again." I leaned against him. He smiled and pressed back, supporting my relaxed stance.

"Yeah, well, we'll always be friends." I smiled, when suddenly my heart gave a painful twinge. I gasped and shot up, clutching my chest. Kaz looked around in alarm.

"Tom?" I shook my head, willing my heart to stop racing.

"N-Nothing. It's nothing, I'm fine. Must be an aftershock from getting hit in the battle." He still had a worried look on his face, but he nodded. I turned back to stare at my feet.

_'But...I wasn't injured in the fight...so...what was that just now?_'

* * *

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	6. Chapter 6: Banzai Brigade Launch! Pt 1

Chapter fourteen, fresh off the press!

Tom: Yay!(smiling like an idiot)

Eh?(looks over at him with a flat look) Aho? What are you so happy about?

Tom: Because Kazzu and I are friends again. And best of all, Reggie became our friend!

Ah-ha! That's right! He's in this chapter too, didja know?

Tom: Eh? Uso! Really?

Yup! He's a part of the(glances at audience) Ooh, can't give that away just yet! Better start reading!

* * *

"IVAN? What happened here, dude?" Peyton gaped as he took in the sight of the wrecked caravans, still-on-fire tents, and various wounded Mipedians strewn about. He, Tom, Kaz, and surprisingly enough, Frafdo, had just reacted to an emergency signal from Prince Iflar, the crown prince of the Mipedian Tribe.

Said royal was standing in front of them, holding a sheepish-looking Ivan by the back of his shirt and giving the group a flat, slightly annoyed look. Upon the outburst from his older sibling, the small brunette began to squirm.

"Uh, well, you see...you'd think it'd be a long story, but it's actually not." Peyton stared at his little brother. If he could be anymore vague...

"Well? Start explaining then." Tom said. Ivan fidgeted a bit more, then looked at them.

"Well, uh, you see, it started this morning, when Riley showed us something odd..."

(Flashback to a few hours ago)-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"What...the heck is that?" Ivan, Ruka, and Reggie, now in a wheelchair, were sitting at a table in the Port-Court. They were all staring at the item that Riley was holding, acting like it was a lost gold coin.

"Are you kidding? It's our group's very own member's badge!" The mocha-skinned teen chirped happily. The badge was just about the same size as a cell phone, and was a color scheme of bright purple and orange. It proudly declared-

"We're known as the 'Banzai Brigade'?" Ivan read off, wondering why on Earth, or Chaotic, Riley would make something like this. The aforementioned boy grinned.

"Exactly! Your bro's gang is called the 'Perim Four', so seeing as we're their understudies, we should get our own club too!" Riley said in an animated fashion, waving his hands about. Reggie sweat-dropped.

"You realize they're called that as a joke, right?" Riley gave the blond a very blank look.

"They only got that name because of the 'Trouble Two', aka Clay and Krystella." Ruka said pointing her thumb over her shoulder at the aforementioned players, who were hassling a nearby robot. The four glowered in the duo's direction, then turned back to each other.

"Well, I see your point. Everybody who's anybody has a codename or something similar. But, we're a bit small to be a brigade, aren't we?" Ivan shrugged at Reggie's question. Ruka suddenly stood up, walked over to a table that had a lone girl sitting at it, and proceeded to pick the teen up bodily and walk back with her.

"Alright then! This'll be our newest member!" Ruka declared. The girl was blond, a lot like Sarah, and had bright pinkish red eyes. She wore a bright green shirt and tight blue jeans, sandals, and a mixed expression on her face as she looked around at her impromptu kidnappers.

"Ruka! You can't go kidnapping other players when you feel like it!" Ivan shouted, anime tear streaks running down his face. The confusion and anger disappeared to be replaced by a blank look.

"Alright then, it's settled!" Ruka yelled, pumping her fist in the air. She brought her hand down dramatically to point at the girl. "Now, state your real name followed by your screen-name, favorite color, food, and animal!"

"WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING?" Ivan screamed, steam exploding from his ears. Riley placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't she's listening to you, bro." Ivan seemed ready to explode, when he slumped over, wilted.

"I give up. Whatever. Just do what you want." The girl blinked in surprise, looked around at the table, then shrugged. She stood up.

"My name is Conny Melhart, and my screen name is Senpheria. My favorite color is green, my favorite food is churros, and my favorite animal is a kappa." Riley blinked.

"But, those don't exist." Conny snatched up the front of his shirt and pulled him close enough to her face that he could see the ring around her eyes.

"CHURROS DO EXIST!" She screamed in his face. The entire Port-Court had gone silent, staring at the disturbed girl with dropped jaws. Riley sweat-dropped.

"I-I meant kappas..." He stuttered out. She released his shirt, letting him fall over.

"Oh, even I knew that. But if they DID exist I'd want one." She said matter-of-factly. Ivan stared, then began to laugh. Pretty soon, the whole Port-Court was laughing off the randomness. Ruka applauded her.

"Well, she makes the cut, I'd say! Conny, welcome to the Banzai Brigade." She saluted the blond. Conny saluted Ruka back, grinning. Both girls sat back down, and Conny looked around at them.

"Well? You guys know me, but I don't know you yet." Reggie leaned forward.

"I'm Reginald Tevington, and my screen-name is Reggie1. Please call me Reggie, a lot easier on the tongue." Conny giggled.

"I'm Riley Hayfield. Screen-name is JupiterZap. Pleased to meet ya." He shot her a Fonzie style 'Aye' and she giggled again.

"I'm Ruka Nomikawa, and my screen-name is ChaoticCailey." Ruke waved as she slumped in her seat.

"I'm Ivan Ronelli. My screen name is MipedianPrince. My older brother is PeytonicMaster, and his name is Peyton. He started playing Chaotic, so I got into it too." Ivan said while giving off a polite air.

"Alright! Everybody knows everybody now, right?" Riley said jumping up and balancing on his chair. The group nodded. "YES! Now, let's get down to business! Everybody, let's go on a super fun mission today!" Ivan let his forehead drop onto the table.

"Head-desk! I didn't know they were real!" Conny said excitedly. Ruka and Riley cracked up, while Reggie fussed over the physical state of his friend.

"Riley, think about a few things. First off, We need to remember that Reggie has a bit of a setback-" He motioned to the wheelchair, to which Reggie shrugged, "-and second, what kind of a mission are we even talking about?"

Riley stared at him for a few moments, before shrugging. THUD. Reggie gave his friend a worried look as Ivan let his head drop onto the table again. A sudden cry caught the groups attention.

"NO! Not my limited edition Prince Iflar Scan!" They looked to see a young girl trying in vain to take her Scanner back, Clay standing over her.

"Well, too bad. You really ought to hold on to your things better, girly." Ivan twitched. Ruka got up, and stormed towards the blond, who looked over at the sound of her foosteps and paled. Before she could reach him, however, an alarm sounded, and a figure in white armor appeared in a flash of blue code.

"C-CodeMaster Hotekk." Riley stuttered out. The figure inclined their head at Ruka, who shrank back in fear, then turned to Klay and the younger Player.

"Chaotic Player Klayotic, you have been found guilty of pilfering Scans from other Players. Your account shall be suspended for a month, and all your Scans shall be deleted." Hotekk raised his hand and a scary ringing noise erupted from Klays Scanner. The girl tugged on Hotekk's sleeve.

"Bu-But what about my Prince Iflar Scan? It won't get deleted, right?" She had a wibble in her voice, and her eyes were teared up. Hotekk patted her head soothingly.

"I'm sorry. But I cannot remove the Scans he took." The girl began to cry. Riley slammed his hands down on a nearby table, catching everyone's attention.

"Don't worry, little girly!" Riley pointed his thumb at himself. "The Banzai Brigade will get you a new Scan of Iflar. And it'll be up to date, so it'll be even better!" The girl stopped crying and looked at him in amazement.

"Really?" Riley nodded, smiling at her. "Absolutely! I guarantee it!" He looked over at the CodeMaster.

"That's no problem, right? I can get it for her, and I won't ask for anything in return." Hotekk bowed his head slightly.

"Yes, that would be acceptable. But Iflar is the Prince of the Mipedian Tribe. It won't be easy." Ruka stepped up.

"Not a problem! After all, the whole point of Chaotic is to challenge yourself." Reggie nodded.

"I can stay here and monitor your progress alongside her." Hotekk inclined his head again, and somehow Ivan got the impression he was studying them. After a few moments, he nodded.

"You are PeytonicMaster's little brother, correct?" Ivan nodded, hardening his gaze.

"I can tell, you have the same good Samaritan complex he has. A very good thing, indeed." He bowed a farewell to them, and the group huddled around a Scan Table.

(Chibi Riley poofs into view: Alright guys, it's time for another Quick Lesson! A Scan Table is a machine in the Port-Court that can be used to look at one's deck like you were looking at the cards instead. You can even re-arrange your decks and scans so it can benefit you in battle, and Scan Tables can be used to trade scans as well!)

"Alright, here's the area that Iflar is spotted around the most. Here." Ruka pointed to a small village looking area near a lake. "We can port near Lake Mera, but after that we have to wing it." The girl sniffled.

"Thank you so much." Riley gently patted her back.

"No problem. we'll get you that Scan, and next time you see Clay, kick him hard in the shins, got it?" She giggled and nodded. Riley pumped his fist in the air.

"Alright! Let's do this! Mission, start!"

(End FlashBack)-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Ivan, you're such a nice person, going along like that." Tom cooed. The brunette turned red and twiddled his thumbs together. Peyton was still glancing about the wreckage.

"Okay, we know how it started but how did all of this-" He swept his arms around, "-happen? I mean, Scans usually don't end up in stuff on fire, unless you're in the UnderWorld."

Ivan twiddled his thumbs faster.

"Um, well, we went about getting all of our stuff ready, and we ported where we planned to, but...well..." Kaz cocked an eyebrow.

"Well?" Ivan rubbed the back of his head.

"You see, that's where things got a bit out of hand." Frafdo gave the human a wary look.

"How 'out-of-hand' do you mean?" Ivan pressed his pointer fingers together.

"Um, well, actually..."

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"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?" Ruka screeched as what looked like a giant worm with spike-like teeth growing out of the top of its head attempted to plunge down on top of them.

"HELL IF I KNOW, JUST KEEP RUNNING!" Riley roared back, darting over the sand. Ivan and Conny were far ahead of them, thoroughly wishing they had stayed back with Reggie.

"I don't think that thing HAS a Tribe assignment!" Conny stated as they sprinted harder. The four were just about done for, when-

"You vile beast! Away from the sand that our royals walked on, you dare to challenge the strength of we?" A loud voice boomed, and several purple shots slammed into the worm-beast. It emitted a horrible screeching noise, to which the four covered their ears.

They watched as several Mipedian guards, all bearing the crest and uniform of the Royal Guard, swarmed the monster, attacking it ruthlessly until it drew back under the sand. Ruka signaled for the others to follow her as they crawled away, not wanting to be the next targets.

"Oh, man, that was insane!" Riley muttered as they leaned against each other for rest. Ivan stood up shakily.

"Guys, this is way too dangerous. I say we head back, apologize to that girl, and just forget this whole thing." Ruka and Riley stood up.

"We can't, Ivan! She's counting on us!"

"Yeah, and we're the understudies of the Perim Four! We can't just run away!" Ivan shook his head in exasperation.

"I'm not going another step unless I know I won't get co-DED!" Ivan ended his sentence in a shriek as the rock he had been leaning on gave way to a tunnel. The other three peered inside as Ivan groaned in pain and got up shakily.

"Omg, Ivan! You found the hidden tunnel into the Mipedian Royal Palace!" Conny gasped. Riley grinned, looking like Christmas had come early.

"Well, looks like the mission's still on. Follow me guys! Ivan, I'm counting on you to find our way back." The brunette sighed, and fumbled with his pack. Withdrawing a piece of chalk, he set it against the stone and as they walked, he dragged it over the surface of the passage, leaving a bright pink line from the entrance.

The four had been walking for what seemed like hours, when they found themselves at a fork in the path. They glanced down one tunnel, then the other, then at each other.

"I say we don't do the cliche thing where the group splits up, only to be killed individually later on(4)." Riley said with his hand raised. The other three chorused their agreement, and after Ruka had examined the floor, she pointed at the right path.

"There's lots of kicked up dirt down that way, so they must use that tunnel to get in and out." Ivan glanced at her in confusion.

"How can you tell?" Ruka grinned, a small hum of joy emitting from her as she bent down and pointed at the floor.

"See this? Bears and wildcats make markings like this in the forest so they can memorize routes to spots for food." She pointed to a dent in the ground that looked like a claw had been pressed down repeatedly. They would never have noticed if she hadn't pointed it out. "It works the same way. Mipedians who come in the way we did look for the mark, so they know to go down this tunnel and not the other one."

Ivan blinked, then began to clap quietly. "That's amazing, Ruka. Were you a Girl-Scout or something?" The girl blew up her cheeks with a frown.

"No way. My dad would take me hunting with him, and taught me everything I know." She got up and began to walk down the tunnel. The others followed her, and soon the stone changed from dirt and rocks to elaborate stone designs, and small pictures were carved into some.

"This is the right, for sure. Check these out, you guys." Conny pointed to one next to her. It depicted what looked like a Mipedian, but with large claws and teeth, holding what appeared to be a floating rock. There were some inscriptions next to it.

"I think I know what that says. Peyton was teaching me how Mipedians write the other day, and I think I saw these ones." He pointed out one after another slowly.

"Majestic...Beast...Castle...Guard...Treasure...and uh, I think that one means Royal." He finished, pointing to what looked like a half circle with a triangle pinting towards it. Suddenly, the floor beneath them gave way, and they fell into what almost could be described as a slide. It seemed to go on for a few minutes, when it opened up into a room. Ivan landed first, then Ruka, Conny, and Riley, in that order.

"Oh my...What are you? How did your four get into my chamber?" A quiet, polite, but suspicion filled voice asked from the other end of the room. Ivan pushed off the other three, and gaped at who he saw.

Standing in front of them was a pure white Mipedian. His eyes, which glowed an almost ethereal emerald, were studying them curiously, and his tail, which split into five thin tips, waggled back and forth like a puppy's tail. He was wearing a royal blue outfit, which had a symbol that Ivan recognized immediately; the Royal family's crest.

"Uh, we just...dropped by for a visit?" Ruka tried, grinning nervously. Ivan would've face-palmed, if he weren't so close to wetting himself in fear; Iflar was brother to Mudeenu, and after the encounter Tom and Kaz had with the bulky lizard creature, Ivan was down right terrified right now.

Conny, however, took no notice of their fear and skipped up to the now cautious prince and did the last thing anyone expected; she hugged him.

"Hi! I'm Conny! Are you Prince Iflar? What's your favorite food? Do you like being a prince? Is it nice living in the desert? Your brother Mudeenu isn't very nice. Do you fight with him? Do you win? By the way, how do we get out of here?" Everyone in the room sweat-dropped at the girl's ability to say all of that in one breath. Ivan had his heart stop as Iflar's clawed hand shot up.

No need to worry, though, as the prince proceeded to scratch his finned ear in confusion, then push the human away gently.

"Um, hello Miss Conny. Yes, I am the Crown Prince Iflar, of the Royalty of the Mipedian Tribe... My favorite thing to eat is, um, fruits I guess... I have a lot of responsibility as the prince, but I do like it. It's nice living here if you can survive long enough. Yes, Mudeenu is a bit of a brute. We do fight, and usually I win. And, um, I'm sorry, what was your last question?" He answered confusedly.

Conny opened her mouth to repeat her questionnaire, but Ruka quickly slapped her hand over the blonde's mouth. "HAHA! Pay no mind to her!" Riley finally pushed both girls off, having been their seat for the previous two minutes.

"Prince Iflar? If I may ask...but, why are you shut in here? Shouldn't you be like, writing laws or something?" Iflar's ear twitched and his eyes drooped.

"You have no idea how our tribe works, do you?" Riley, Conny, Ruka, and Ivan sat Indian style in a circle.

"Not a clue."

"Blissfully ignorant."

"I break laws, not study them."

"Um, I kinda understand how it works." Four pairs of eyes turned to Ivan in surprise. The brunette blushed and poked his fingers together.

"W-Well, my brother really loves your tribe, and he's always studying it and telling me about it. The way it works...um, it's, the Royal family is the highest class in the Mipedian tribe. It is considered a taboo to approach, communicate verbally, or attempt to physically interact with them, right?" Ivan tilted his head to look at Iflar. He was sitting cross-legged, and when the human looked for confirmation, the sleek reptilian prince nodded.

"That's why you're stuck in here? Man, that's bogus!" Riley exclaimed. Iflar titled his head in confusion.

"I...don't quite understand." Ruka pushed her glasses up on her nose, making them flicker with light momentarily.

"Well, as the prince you should have the right to go anywhere you want. That's how it is in our world, at least." Iflar looked interested.

"Really?" Ruka nodded.

"Yup! Rich and important people can go wherever they want to, and makes lots and lots of friends. They can do what they want too, and just pay away the expenses." Iflar's ears drooped down.

"Isn't that a bit irresponsible?" Ruka put her finger on her chin.

"Well, only in certain ways. Like, say a rich guy wants to demolish a wax-making factory to put up a new hospital, because a sick friend can't go to the next town over. Or, if they want to renovate a building to give some orphans a home. Those aren't irresponsible, right?" The white fins perked up.

"There are really such humble and kind humans?" Riley nodded.

"We're like them, too! We're good guys!" Iflar let one ear tilt all the way up, then the other went down. He looked a bit like a dog in that fashion.

"You are?" Riley, Conny, and Ruka fell anime-style. Ivan sweat-dropped at their dramatics, then turned to Iflar.

"Prince, we came here to Scan you, because a bully named Clay erased a girl's Scan of you. It was very precious to her, so we said we would get her a new one. Speaking of which..." Ivan dug into his pockets and pulled out his Scanner. He held it out to the Prince.

"May I Scan you, so I can give it to that girl?" Iflar looked into the humans eyes, making Ivan feel as though he was going to be attacked if he so much as twitched. Iflar studied the human for any signs of lying, then sat back on his haunches.

"Very well. But only if you agree to help free me from here." Ivan let his jaw drop. The others, who had been in a sulking-circle, turned around as well with surprise on their faces.

"I haven't been outside these walls for a very long time. I want to see how much has changed since I last saw the sun glowing in the sky. I also want to see more of your kind of humans - kind and humble people." The prince's eyes were misted over, and his expression was so forlorn that Riley jumped up and smack his hands.

"ALRIGHT! Banzai Brigade, new mission: we bust Princey here outta this jailhouse, then get the Scan and port back. You guys with me?" The other three chorused their agreement.

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"Okay, that explains how Prince Iflar got out here-" Peyton motioned to the white Mipedian, who bowed politely, "-but again, how did all of the village get wrecked up? And the fires?" Suddenly, the brunette known as Ruka ran up to them.

"Prince Iflar, I managed to save that cloak you liked." She handed over a deep, royal green cloak border by a smooth silver lining. The prince it gratefully and wrapped it around his shoulders, pulling up the hood so his white skin and scales would not be harmed by the sun. The girl then turned, then anime-jerked as she took in the sight of the Perim Four.

"Er, hi guys. I swear I didn't have my lighter with me so please don't kill me, alright?" She said. Tom sighed, then turned to Ivan.

"Well?" Ivan sweat-dropped.

"Uh, see, that's where the story gets a bit weirder." Kaz pointed his thumb at Iflar.

"You became friends with a royal Mipedian prince who's been locked in his room for the last decade of his life. Weird was back a few miles - now we're officially in 'no-frikken'-way-land'. How much weirder could it get?" Ivan pressed his fingers together.

"Er, well, it's actually kinda funny. You see..."

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Ivan peered out of the room with a Spectral Viewer in his hands. A quick scope revealed that there were no guards hiding in the shadows. He turned to face the others, turning white and falling over when his nose nearly caught on Iflar's snout horn.

"Oh, my apologies. I wanted to make sure there was no one there as well." Ivan nodded, recovering his normal heart rate. Iflar wasn't at all like what Mudeenu had been described as; he was very nice, polite and quiet. Ivan decided Iflar wasn't so bad and on a whim, stuck his hand out. Iflar eyed the gesture curiously, tilting his head.

"Well, from what it sounds like so far, you don't have a lot of human friends. Where I come from, we shake hands and that symbolizes becoming friends." Ivan explained with a blush across his cheeks. Iflar perked up happily and maneuvered his claws around the considerably smaller and more fragile human's hand.

"Up-" Ivan pulled their hands upward, "-then down. Like that, see? Some people also hug, like what Conny did. Only, I'm pretty sure that tackling while hugging is called 'glomping' in our world." Ivan brought their hands down and then let go. Iflar studied his paw a moment, then looked up at Ivan.

"We...are friends now?" Ivan nodded with a smile.

"Yup, it's that easy." Iflar nodded back, then in a flash of movement he was standing by the others, eagerly shaking Conny's hand. She squealed, shook his hand, then hugged him again, to which he nervously returned; She was so much smaller than him, after all.

"Alright gang. We need to be quiet and stealthy. Ifar, you need to walk in the middle and give us directions; Ivan and Ruck, keep a Spectral Viewer in both directions at all times." Riley ordered. Conny raised her hand.

"What about you and me boss?" Riley threw a metal pole to her. She pressed a button and the top opened like a flower, a small electric charge sitting in the middle.

"We're on kicking-ass duties. See any Mipedian guards, just stab 'em with these." Iflar's ears shot straight up. "No, it's just an EMP generator, it's called a Short-Circuit Stick. It'll knock 'em out like sleep gases, they'll just have a bigger headache when they wake up." He soothed. Iflar settled back down, though he still looked nervous.

"Everybody ready?" A collective nod. "Then let's do this!" They snuck out from the room, and managed four hallway intersections.

"HALT! Where are you four going with our prince?" A Mipedian guard, bearing blue armor, had appeared from the shadows. Riley rammed his SCS into the guards middle, and Ivan's jaw dropped when the guard was suddenly outlined in blue light, then fell to the floor un-moving. Upon closer examination, his chest could be seen moving up and down. Iflar gave a worried glance to the soldier.

"Right. Hold this." Riley handed his SCS to Ivan, then pulled the guard to the wall and tugged his arms into a sleeping position. "There. Looks like someone needed to catch some Z's."

They continued down the way, Iflar pointing the directions he remembered, and Conny and Riley stunning the guards. There were about thirteen or so, but something seemed...off.

"I think this may be a trap." Riley muttered. Iflar looked at him confusedly.

"What do you mean?" Riley motioned to the empty hall they were crouching in.

"This, all of it. Think; all of those guards could've used their invisibility to catch us off guard. But everyone we've come across either doesn't use it and just attacks, or just don't do anything at all." Ivan felt a cold sweat start up on his back.

"You...You think this was planned?" The group froze as the loudest, most obnoxious sounding alarm began to go off.

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"So, it was a trap...Go figure." Kaz said, watching as Tom returned Iflar's hug of doom, as Ruka happily called it. The red-head had already been declared a new friend, and Peyton had been over-joyed when he managed to teach Iflar to fist-bump.

"Well, kinda, and kinda not." Peyton turned to his brother with a flat glare.

"Bro, if you were any vaguer, you'd probably have air in yer head instead of a brain. So, what happened after that?" Tom jumped as a scream rang out, watching as Riley ran up to them, his face pale.

"I think I just stepped on some kind of fruit - it's so gross!" He moaned, pointing to his feet. His shoes were covered in a thick, purple gel that had tiny orange specks. Iflar pointed as well.

"That looks like a gola-gola fruit; it stains horribly but it's very delicious. It's one of my favorites." Tom sweat-dropped as the mocha-skinned teen kept moaning about the stain, and how his sister was gonna kill him, and all sorts of dramatics.

"So, then what happened? Don't leave us hangin' bro." Ivan scratched the back of his head.

"Uh, well. See, that's where things get really weird...Even weirder than weird..."

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"RUN!" As if hearing the group's suspicions, a huge wave of guards came swarming from down the tunnel. The group sprinted away, Ruka and Conny half-dragging Iflar.

"Why do you always have to be right?" The girls shouted at Riley, who gave a wordless screech that obviously meant 'just keep running!'

"In here!" Ivan pulled a door open, and the five squished into the doorway and closed the door just as the swarm came around the corner. They ran past the room, snarling angrily. The group held their breath until the murmurs couldn't be heard, then fell apart with a relieved sigh. Iflar began to walk away from them.

"I...I dont believe it." His astonished tone made the others look over, and they gasped as they took in what appeared to be a child's playroom. Ivan got up and walked up to what looked like a pile of badly sewn dolls.

"Iflar...are these yours?" He asked holding up what looked like a miniature version of the prince himself. Iflar stumbled over and took of it.

"Yes...these were made by my parents. They..." The green eyes flicked downwards. Ivan put his hand on the prince's shoulder.

"Prince?" Iflar shook his head and walked away. He sat down near a pile of wooden wagons, some broken and all covered in dust.

"About seven Solon's ago, my parents went to the UnderWorld to discuss a treaty of peace with UnderLord Chaor. They were never heard from again. When I assumed the throne in their absence, I attempted to go and find them. I was packed one night, but when I woke up the next morning I was in that room. The guards beyond told me an emergency had come up, and that it wasn't safe for me to go outside. I've been in there ever since." He squeezed the plush toy gently, and it gave a small squeak.

"Oh, prince..." Conny cooed sadly. She gave Iflar a hug, which he returned in full this time, needing it badly. Ivan wore a look of confusion.

"I don't think that's all there is." Everyone looked at him in surprise.

"My brother's friend, Kaz, is really tight with Chaor, and he said that the Mipedian royals did come for a treaty, but Chaor disregarded it. They left the UnderWorld city that same day, Chaor escorted them himself." If it was even possible, Iflar went even paler.

"B-But that's..." Ivan suddenly felt a twitch at the back of his mind.

"Iflar, who told you about your parents?"

"Why, the Court Supevisor of course. Zhade." Four stomachs dropped out of their owners. Ruka was the first to recover.

"Zhade works for your brother, prince! He's a spy!" A smooth voice from the doorway made everyone's blood run cold.

"My, my. Such intelligent creatures you humans are. Intelligent, but also annoying."

It was Zhade.

* * *

Heeeee...I forgot how much fun these guys were, heehee.


	7. Chapter 7: Banzai Brigade Launch! Pt 2

ASHER! Chapter friggen' 16! HAPPY SWEET SIXTEEN, COTHICA DESTINO! Since it's such an important number, this chapter will be longer than any other! Except maybe _that_ chapter.

Tom: Hey, are we finally going to end the brigades first mission?

Yessir! We'll find out why the village was such a wreck! Plus, new stuff happens! New friends are made! More stuff happens!

Kaz: Well get on it! Peyton wants to see his little brother become a hero.

Peyton:(in background) IVAN! BE A HERROOOOOOOOO!

Ehe...(sweat-drops) That's a bit embarrassing.

Let's!

STARTO!

* * *

Zhade stepped out of the shadows. Ivan and Ruka backed up in front of Iflar, who stared at his Supervisor in confusion. Riley and Conny readied the SCS, only to gasp as several guards appeared and took the weapons away. The armor the guards were wearing was not the Royal blue they had seen on other guards, but instead was the same type Mudeenu's had worn.

"Figures. You humans always worm your way into matters that don't concern you." Zhade snaps his fingers, and the group was swarmed and separated. "Dear Prince, why are you out of your room? It isn't safe out here."

"Zhade, why are you doing this? You're supposed to take care of our people!" Iflar cried out as his arms were roughly yanked backwards and cuffed. Zhade slithered up to the irate prince.

"_Your _people, more like. They don't appreciate what Lord Mudeenu and I are trying to accomplish." Riley growled and kicked at the guards holding him.

"You're trying to start a war! Who in their right minds would appreciate that?" Zhade snarled and in a flash he was holding the front of Riley's shirt, his claws threateningly close to the mocha-skinned boy's throat.

"Quiet human! Or you'll be the first casualty!" Riley dry-swallowed, his eyes wide in fear. Zhade walked away after a moment, and Riley sagged in his captors arms.

"Now then. You humans will be thrown into the Glosh-Worm pit, and I'll let you in on a secret - it hasn't been fed in days." All four Players felt a cold wave run down their backs. He then walked over to the prince, who had been trying in vain to wiggle away.

"And you, dear Prince, shall be ransomed. And to think, in a few days you would've been re-united with Mommy and Daddy dearest." Iflar's eyes went wide.

"My parents?" Zhade nodded.

"You see, Mudeenu trapped them in the Carnival of Confusion, where they've wandered for this entire time; It's seems, however, that a few days ago they were able to get out, thanks to that OverWorlder Tangath Tolborn." Ivan frowned.

"They were to arrive here and see you well. Now, all they will see shall be a note stating your ransom. Mudeenu will be so happy to see his little brother." The tone he used to say 'happy' was enough to make Ruka screech in rage, and attempt to lunge from her captors hands and claw at Zhade.

"Now then - take the human's Scanners, and then take them to the cell! Our prisoner will be overjoyed to see new playmates."

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Tom growled at this. "If I ever see that creep I'm going to kick him in the shin!" Peyton gave his brother a worried look as Riley and Conny came running up.

"Ivan, you'll never believe this, but - Oh, hey guys." The mocha-skinned boy waved at the others. Tom tiredly returned it, eyeing the bundle in Conny's arms. It was wiggling.

"Omigawd, Ivan! You'll never believe who we found in the rubble just now!" Conny pulled apart the blanket, and it revealed a fox-like Creature that was colored orange and teal. Ivan squealed, Peyton giving his brother an odd look as the smaller brunette scooped up the tiny thing.

"Chapi! Oh God, thank goodness you made it out!" Kaz pointed at Chapi who was snuggling Ivan happily. Meanwhile Conny introduced herself to the others quickly.

"What in Perim is that?" Ivan, Ruka, Conny, and Riley looked at each other. This time Conny stepped forward.

"Well, you see..."

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"THIS ISN'T RIGHT! I DEMAND POLITICALLY CORRECT JUSTICE!" Ruka screamed as she rattled the bars of the cell. Conny, Ivan, and Riley were all sitting in a circle, shackles cuffed tightly to their wrists. A loud clang and the screeching off the door down the hall alerted them to the guards. With them was a boy, tan skin and black hair with bright blue highlights pulled into an upward ponytail was being led into the hall. The boy and both of the guards stared at Ruka, who had somehow managed to climb to the top of the bar door and stay up there.

"How-" The guard began, pointing at her. Ivan shrugged.

"I'm starting to think she's a mutant or something. At this point I'm not even surprised by her anymore." The guards looked at each and shrugged. They opened the door, Ruka almost squished by the metal frame, and shoved the boy in. He landed on his stomach and lay there glancing at the others.

"Meet your new cellmate. We caught him sneaking around the palace earlier. Have fun while you're all still alive." The guard hissed, and they walked out locking the door behind them. Ruka jumped down from her perch, and the boy sat up.

"God, those guys could stand to get laid." Ruka and Riley both burst out laughing, while Conny and Ivan turned bright red. The boy grinned, the motion drawing attention to his green eyes. They were an emerald almost identical to Peyton's.

"The name's Scrim-Pirate, but most peeps call me Ron. Just don't sing 'Danny Boy' near me and you'll never find yourself buried in the desert, okay?" They all laughed at this. Conny tilted her head at him.

"Ron, why were you sneaking around the palace when its on high alert?" Ron looked over at her as he crossed his legs. He pulled out his Scanner and showed them a picture of a green and orange blur going up the palace steps.

"I saw this thing running around the desert and thought it was some kind of new creature. I followed it by accident into the castle, and wound up getting caught by Sir Kick-Me-In-The-Scales." He rolled his eyes at the end of his sentence. Riley gaped at him.

"How do you still have your Scanner?" Ron gave him a weirded out look.

"I guess the guards forgot to take it. Why, did they take yours?" Riley nodded. Ivan leaned forward, his expression dark.

"We need to get out of here. Zhade is planning on taking Prince Iflar and using him as a ransom." Ron's jaw dropped. He leaned forward, and for a few moments just stared at the brunette. After a very long pause he smiled.

"I knew it." Ivan's eyebrow shot up.

"Knew what?" Ron's smile morphed into a wide grin.

"You _are _as cute as you are serious." Ivan turned red and his jaw dropped. He stared at Ron for a long time not saying anything, and Ruka finally waved her hand in his face. Nothing.

"Wow, you've rendered him catatonic from shock." Ignoring the fact that his team-mate might have brain-damage, Riley pounded his fist into his hand.

"We have to get out somehow. Conny, give us a run down on the missions we have so far." Ron looked away from admiring Ivan's state of dead-from-embarrassment-ness to give the black teen a confused look.

"Missions?" He said just as Conny yelped a 'Yes Boss!" and pulled out a notepad. Ruka gaped at her.

"You were seriously writing all this down the entire time?" Conny grinned.

"Right! Mission 1: Get a Prince Iflar Scan for Ann. Mission 2: Get Iflar out of palace. Mission 3: Rescue Iflar from Sir Kick-Me-In-The, er, I mean Zhade." Ron grinned when she almost used his nick-name for the Mipedian. "Mission 4: Break selves out of cell and try not to die. Mission 5: Help Ron Scan unknown Creature. Mission 6: Port back to Chaotic and pig out on Perim Pizza." Ivan finally snapped out of whatever trance he had been in for five minutes and turned a comically angry face to her.

"THAT'S NOT A MISSION! IS FOOD ALL YOU THINK ABOUT? AND WHY ARE WE HELPING THIS GUY ANYWAY?" Ivan screamed, pointing to Ron. The Asian looked highly affronted, and turned to the brunette.

"Well, I didn't ask for your help anyway." He frowned, then that scary grin came back. "But, if you want to help, I'm sure you could think of a certain way to help me." I van turned red again, but did not go into shock this time. Outside the hall, the guards jumped as they heard a loud THWACK! followed by a 'MONKEY PANTS!'

"Ah, whadja do that for?" Ron groaned while holding his head. Ivan was now on the opposite side of the cell. One emerald eye opened. "But, why are you helping me? And what was that thing about missions?"

"We're the Banzai Brigade! We help anyone who needs it, and we're not afraid to do what needs getting done!" Riley stood up, fanning his legs a bit and angling his arms so they looked like something from PowerRangers. Ruka stood in front of him, and Conny at his side.

"Banzai Brigade! Sound off! Riley Hayfield, code-name JupiterZap!" The girls up and saluted.

"Ruka Nomikawa, code-name ChaoticCailey!"

"Conny Melhart, code-name Senpheria!" Ron tilted his head with a smile.

"My name is Ronumi Mizatowa, but call me Ron or by my code-name, which you already know. And now," He leaned towards Ivan, who leaned back trying to avoid the teen with every air of disgust towards him. "Your name, hot stuff?"

Ivan cringed hard. "Ivan Ronelli, and my code-name is MipedianPrince." Ron shot him a sly look.

"Mipedians, eh? Fine choice, we're surrounded by them." At Ivan's scowl and impending tantrum, he added on smoothly. "But I agree, you're definitely a prince with those looks." Ivan opened his mouth, and once again turned red.

"I've heard of your face sticking from weird positions, but is it possibly to have the color get stuck?" Ruka asked offhandedly as she watched the two.

A clanging from above their heads made all five look up, and the grate in the ceiling suddenly came down on their heads. The blur from Ron's picture dropped down, making them panic. They calmed down when they got a good look at it, however.

It looked like a fox plushie, like what a child would see a fox looking like. The fur on its head and around its neck were a carrot orange, and though Ivan had thought originally that its fur was green was immediately corrected; it was actually a bright teal color. All in all, the thing was just utterly adorable.

"It's so cute! I want one!" Conny cooed. Riley got a bit closer to it.

"I've never seen it before. Is it an OverWorld type?" Ivan shrugged.

"I don't think it has a class type, like that worm-thing in the desert. It doesn't have any markings." The fox thing looked over at Riley (though they couldn't really tell because the eyes were closed), then sniffed the air and suddenly tackled Ivan. He proceeded to freak out, thinking it was going to eat him, when he realized it was just licking his face.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"I thought you hated dogs?" Peyton said while scratching his head. Ivan held Chapi protectively while pouting at his older brother.

"Well, it doesn't count cause its technically a creature." Iflar pulled the creature from the brunettes arms and studied it. He tilted his head.

"It has short fur, so it must be a desert type at least. I think I've seen others like it, though admittedly not the same coloring." Chapi barked at him, startling the Prince, and jumped back to Ivan. Peyton looked at his brother as if to say, _well? What happened next_?

Conny grinned. "That's where things got even more interesting."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Hey wait, did it just come from an air-duct?" Ruka looked up again, and sure enough the grate falling away revealed a tunnel. She stood up, and looked at the others.

"Guys, we might just have a way out of here. But we'll need a distraction." Ron looked at the group, then at the ground. He sighed.

"I'll do it." They gaped at him. Ruka protested the idea right away.

"No way! We don't EVER leave people on their own. Besides, that would cancel out Mission 4, sorta!" She pouted when Ron laughed.

"It's all right. Look, I'll distract the guards so you guys can get out, then since I have my Scanner I'll port out of harm's way. Okay?" Riley regarded this, then nodded. "Good. And there's only one thing I want in return." He pointed at Ivan.

"A date." If Ivan could emanate Tom, he was sure he could've punched the boy through the wall by this point. As it was, he settled for a firm response.

"Hell no." Ron gave him a bewildered look.

"Why not? It's just tolerating my presence for a day." He then got the scary grin on his face. "Or, you could just kiss me." Ivan went white as a sheet, then a furious red.

Ruka looked over at the door worriedly. "Ivan, just agree to something already! We need to save Iflar!" Ivan deflated.

"Alright. If we survive this meet me in the Port-Court tomorrow." Ron raised an eyebrow.

"Something tells me you aren't being honest. My lie-dar tells me so." Ivan gave him a flat look that asked, _'are you retarded_?' Ron grinned. "So, give me a kiss now, and if you survive, I promise to never annoy you again."

Ivan cringed, knowing that, in the long run, he'd regret this for the rest of his life, but sighed and resigned to his fate. He leaned over and placed a quick peck on Ron's cheek. The boy pouted.

"That's it?" Ivan glowered and held up his fist to the other boy's face.

"Would you rather I deck you?" Ron raised his hands in mock surrender and stood, holding his hands together.

"C'mon. I've got a plan." He had them huddle together and when he finished whispering, Ivan blinked.

"That...is actually very intelligent. I'm impressed." At Ron's perverted leer, Ivan quickly added. "B-But only slightly!" Riley pumped his fists as best he could in the chains.

"Then guys, let's get outta here!"

-A FEW MOMENTS LATER-

"HEY! HEY! A PRISONER JUST GOT OUT!" The guards burst in at Ron's frantic scream. They counted the four prisoners now standing and looking worried/angry. Ruka was attempting to beat up Ron with her hands bound.

"And he didn't even bother helping us get out! I say he deserves to get caught!" Ron was yelling at her. She huffed and turned away.

"Jerk! Just sellin' a brother out like that! That's just cold man. Ice cold!" She slurred, and Riley had a horrified look on his face, though whether it was from the almost violent scene or her horrible black guy impersonation, none could tell.

"Which way?" The guard hissed, and Ruka threw a punch at the boy, who ducked and smoothly replied.

"That way." Pointing down the other end of the tunnel. Ruka screeched.

"TRAITOR!" The guards nodded and charged down the hall. Ron and Ruka high-fived each other.

"Excellent acting, girlfriend!(1)" Ruka bowed. Ivan appeared from the ceiling, Chapi sitting in his hoodie peering at them.

"C'mon. It's not very high, but I think we can squeeze through." Ron boosted up Riley, then Ruka, then Conny. Ivan held his hands out to him, but Ron shook his head.

"I said I'd keep the guards off your tail, and I meant it." Riley appeared near Ivan.

"Dude! We ain't just gonna up and leave ya!" Ron smiled, not one trace of perversion to be found.

"Ivan, I'll see you tomorrow, okay? We'll go somewhere nice." Ivan felt his heart flutter uncomfortably.

"But...Ron." Conny pulled Ivan away.

"We have to hurry! Zhade's getting away!" Ivan took one last look at Ron. The Asian boy was facing out of the cell. He caught the brunette's stare and grinned, confidence practically oozing from him. Ivan nodded and pulled the grate up.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"After that, we crawled until the vent gave out from under us and we ended up in the throne room, where Iflar was." Ivan said while pointing at the Prince.

"Ron...I can't believe he just let you leave him there." Tom said staring at the ground. A nearby guard, upon hearing this, snorted.

"No need to worry about that human." Iflar looked affronted by his guard.

"Ario! I can't believe you would say such a thing!" The guard shrugged.

"That human has been labeled as a 'pest'. He terrorizes our outside camps with pranks, and though he never Scans us like other Players, we consider him a complete nuisance." Ivan clenched his fist while holding it up.

"That...That no-good, lying little-!" Tom grabbed Ivan and pulled him into a one armed hug.

"Ivan! Yameru(2). He helped you get out of there, didn't he?" Ivan looking stuck between staying angry and trying to be calm. He sighed, and chose to calm down.

"Well, even if he was a creep, I guess you're right. It's not everyday you meet a total stranger willing to give up his chance at freedom for you to have instead. I...I kinda miss him now." A pinging noise behind him and suddenly Ron was hugging Ivan from behind.

"AW! I knew you liked me!" Ron then took in the sight of everyone staring at him. Tom and Peyton, assuming the roles of protective older brothers, were both death-glaring him. Ruka, Conny, Riley, and Kaz were gaping, and Iflar was giving him a flat look as if to say 'what, you're still alive?'

"Everybody, happy fun time!" Ron yelped in a fake Russian accent, making all except Iflar, Tom, and Peyton laugh. Frafdo just stood there looking confused.

"Get. Off. Me." Ivan gritted his teeth, attempting to pull the boy's arm from around his neck. Ron just latched on harder, grinning when Ivan growled.

"Don't even try that, hot stuff. I heard you earlier. You actually were worried over lil' ol' me." He poked Ivan in the face. "You. Are. So. Cute." Tom stepped forward, and in the next second he was holding Ron's wrist, the blue-tinged boy sprawled out on the ground.

"And if you ever touch Ivan like that again, you. Are. So. Dead." Ivan ducked behind Peyton as Ron attempted to stand up. Tom put his hands up in a gesture that looked almost ridiculous, but Kaz knew from experience it was actually very painful.

"Oh! Is that the Snake Spin Kick pose? I've never seen it done so professionally!" Tom froze, then blushed and grinned as he relaxed from the stance. Ivan face-palmed as the two began a chat about various fighting poses.

"Great, now he has his hooks in Tom as well." Ron looked over at this and grinned.

"So, Ivan, after you guys fell and found Prince Iflar again, what happened?" Tom said, distracting the Asian boy from whatever perversion he was about to inflict upon Ivan.

"Well, Conny and Ruka put on this random skit about pears or something-" The look on the older boys face made Ivan pause, "-yeah, I didn't get it either. While they were doing that, Riley and I cut the ropes that were tying up the prince. After that, well..."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"I don't get it! How could a tribe that likes fruit NOT be interested in the comedic tragedy of Mr. and Mrs. Pearburg?" Ruka screeched as they fled through the halls, still wearing her Mrs. Pearburg costume. Ivan kicked her in the rear.

"Hurry up and take that stupid thing off! Throw it at them or something!" Ruka squealed, 'You'll bruise me, dummy!', and tore through the paper and glue made costume. She heaved it over her shoulder and Ivan heard the satisfying noise of guards crashing into each other attempting to dodge the monstrosity.

"Where did you get those things anyway?" Riley called, kicking at a guard who had tried to trip him.

"That's mine to know, and yours to obsess over!" She called back, just as they reached a room that they ducked into, and shut the door. It clanged as the furious guards tried to blast through it, but it held fast.

"Well, I know how to get out through here, but what will you do?" Iflar asked the children, his fins twitching like crazy. A clanging noise overhead, and Ivan held his hands out to catch the fox thing from before.

"I wonder, do you always appear like this?" He asked the creature, who squeaked something un-intelligent and tossed a bag to the floor, having been carried in the creatures mouth. Ruka opened and let out a joyous yelp.

"Our Scanners!" She pulled them up, examined the backs, and handed them to their rightful owners.

"You good boy, did you get our Scanners back for us?" Ivan cooed at the creature. It yapped in answer.

"CHAPI!" Riley blinked.

"Did...that thing just say 'Chapi'?" Ivan stared, then held Chapi up to his face.

"Chapi it is then! Good boy, Chapi!" Chapi yapped again and licked Ivan's cheek. Conny leaned towards Chapi, who swerved its head in her direction.

"Chapi? Do you know how to get out of here? We need to get Prince Iflar to safety." Chapi tilted its head, then jumped from Ivan's arms. It ran to a wall and began scratching at it. Conny walked over confused.

"No, no Chapi. We need to get out, and I don't see how scratching at a wall is going to heELLLP!" Conny screeched as she leaned against the wall and it slid open, letting her fall face first onto the ground. Ivan stared at her, then turned to face Iflar.

"Is that just random coincidence, or did your ancestors who built this place just enjoy watching non-Mipedians fall on their faces?" Iflar shrugged, trying to stifle his own laughter.

"C'mon! To freedom!" Riley called.

They ran down the tunnel, and soon enough found themselves outside, the sun just starting to rise over the village. Iflar gaped as he took in the sight.

"Beautiful..." He whispered, and the humans had to agree. The sunrise was so different to their own; the sun rose gently, turning from a bright blue to a dull orange, then a blinding yellow.

"Quick!" Conny whispered, already walking into a nearby tent. She grabbed some cloaks and tossed them out. The humans put the materials on, but Iflar only stared at his.

"Prince?" Ivan tapped lightly on the royals arm. Iflar started.

"No, I was just...The cloak that my parents made for me is back inside the palace." Conny smacked her forehead exasperatedly, for once losing the calm, happy feeling she usually had about her.

"We are SO not going back in there right now!" Iflar flattened his fins, then sighed.

"Yes...Yes, I suppose you're right. I...I will go and recover it once Zhade has been dealt with." Ivan nodded, pulling Chapi back into his hoodie, holding the creature almost like a...a...Yes. Ivan was suddenly struck by the realization that the creature had to be a baby. Chapi was very small, even for a creature, and had a limited vocabulary like a child would. It also acted like a child, going to get their Scanners in an attempt to be praised like a child expects from its parents.

"Are you a...baby?" He murmured quietly. Chapi peered up at him, the slitted eyes opening just a bit to see Ivan with a pair of bright pink eyes.

"Then... you can stay with us. You'll be our little baby." Ivan cooed, jerking back to reality as Conny pulled his arm hard. Zhade had guards swarming over the tents, looking for the humans and Prince.

"What the flip are you doing? Are you mental?" She hissed. Ivan blinked, as though he couldn't see, then realized he had been in some kind of trance. He peered down at Chapi, whose eyes were closed up again.

"So. Not. Funny." He growled at the creature, whose response was to purr at him.

"ATTENTION! THERE ARE FOUR HUMANS WHO HAVE KIDNAPPED THE PRINCE! FIND THEM AND CAPTURE THEM AT ALL COSTS!" The five cringed as shouts began to erupt all over the village. '_Someone took the prince_?', '_Who could do that_?', '_We have a prince_?(3)'

"Crap. We are so screwed right now." Riley hissed through his teeth. Ruka glanced at Iflar, who was holding onto the plushie from before. A lightbulb turned on in her head at that moment.

"I have a plan."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Ruka had Prince Iflar go out and announce Zhade as a traitor, and tell everyone that there were no humans." Riley finished. Tom raised an eyebrow, clearly not letting the story end there. He stared at the group, until Riley finally caved in.

"Um, and I forgot that I was kinda allergic to the dust that was on the cloak. I sneezed and blew our cover, so we scattered and Conny tripped over a hiding Mipedian, and kinda set off this blaster row that-" Tom held up a hand to signify that he understood.

"That ended up torching the tents, and THAT ultimately sent everyone into a frenzy. Right?" He finished with a twitching eye. The group nodded with smiles that clearly said 'don't hurt us please'.

"Exactly!" Tom proceeded to very quickly hit all five on the tops of their heads. "Bakas. All of you." Ron looked up through angry tears, clutching his head in pain.

"WHY WAS I HIT?" Tom looked away and said in a monotone voice, "Because you're trying to corrupt Ivan, and no matter how much you compliment my fighting style, I won't let you agitate my little brother figure."

Ron stared at Tom.

"That, and I don't like you." Ron rolled his eyes. Tom turned to Iflar.

"I really am sorry about this, Prince. We won't let them out of our sight again, and make sure this never happens again." Iflar blinked, incredulity in his eyes.

"What? I believe you are mistaken. Thanks to these children I had the most exciting adventure ever! And they were able to help me get rid of that awful traitor." Peyton looked around.

"Speakin' of the slime-ball, what happened to him?" Ivan and Iflar shared a grin.

"Let's just say he'll be nursing a both broken and burned tail bone for a while." Kaz's jaw dropped.

"YOU BLASTED HIM OUT OF A CANNON?" Iflar shrugged.

"Hey, waste not, want not. We had plenty of firing material, and he just so happened to be tied up. Besides, he went pretty far considering how small he was, compared to the rockets we usually blast from the cannons." The prince said in an almost nonchalant manner. Peyton's jaw dropped and he turned to his little brother.

"You did something to make the royal Prince of the Mipedians act like a human teenager." Ivan's eyes got wide, then he nodded while shrugging. Peyton grinned and pumped his fist into the air.

"WooHoo! My lil' bro corrupted a Prince into becoming one of us!" Without warning, Peyton grabbed his brother in a hug.

"And thank God ya weren't hurt while doing that." Peyton sighed. Ivan's face tinged pink, and he pressed his face into his older brothers shoulder.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry." Tom giggled while having his back to the two, giving them this small moment of brotherly bonding. He glanced at Chapi, who seemed to have a strange fascination with biting Kaz's hair. The red-head was currently standing opposite Tom, eye twitching madly as drool leaked down the side of his face.

"Um...*Pfft!* Need some help?" Tom stifled his snickering as best he could. Chapi was trying to swallow all of Kaz's hair, and almost looked like some kind of anime hat.

"I...Will...Kill...This...Thing..." The other boy replied slowly, teeth clenched. Tom couldn't hold it in any longer. He began to giggle, then it escalated to cackling wildly as Chapi swatted Kaz in the nose with its tail. Ivan helped wrench off the creature, who barked and wagged its tail at Kaz.

Tom grinned, then suddenly was struck by an idea. He turned to the Prince.

"I think I know how this can all work out..."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Tom's P.O.V. :

"After that, we helped put out the fires and clean up the village, just as the Queen and King arrived. Iflar was so happy to see them again, and luckily he was in such a good mood that he let Riley Scan him." I finished saying to Sarah, as we all sat around our usual table. She stirred the cup of soda she had before looking back up at us.

"And then?" Kaz pointed a finger over his shoulder at the group. "Well, right now they're giving that girl her new Prince Iflar Scan, and Ron's still bugging Ivan about their date tomorrow." Peyton jumped with a snarl, then changed his mind and sat back down.

"That was pointless. Why aren't you going to defend him?" Sarah asked. Peyton shrugged.

"Well, originally Ivan came here to play with me and develop a better character for himself, but he can't do that if he's always being coddled, ya know?" Peyton took a sip of his soda. "If he wants Ron to stop bothering him, he'll have to do it on his own. Bro's gotta grow up." I blinked at his choice of words.

"Peyton...you had to grow up quickly, right?" He looked at me in amazement. "But Ivan didn't. So, you want him to develop his own personality on his own. You're trying to be a good big brother." I smiled at him, and watched as his face went red from my next words. "Kakui~. So cool of you, Peyton."

"So, what happened to Chapi?" Sarah questioned. I turned to look at her.

"I took it to Lake Ken-i-po, and Najarin said he would be able to look after him while Ivan and his friends aren't in Perim. Pipori was really excited to have a new friend to play with." Kaz shivered violently.

"Ugh, TWO disgusting drool monsters..." I laughed. After a few moments, though, I felt my mood plummet.

I still had no Scan of Maxxor, and I was losing badly in the Drome-Matches. I was starting to think that... That maybe...

It was impossible for me to ever win again without Maxxor.

* * *

Read and reviews! Whew, this chapter was friggen' long, man! Everyone, the link to the Banzai Brigade picture will be up soon, but Reggie's not in it cuz everyone knows what he looks like.

(1): In memorial to Yamcha, GAY. (That's from DBZabridged)

(2): Yameru: 'Stop it!' or 'Knock it off!' in Japanese

(3): ... Honest to God, I didn't know there was a prince either. Then I did RESEARCH!


	8. Chapter 8: Gender Battle Intress' Tale!

Okay guys, let's go!

Tom: Well, it's good to see you again, but what took so long?

Kaz: Off flirting with some cosplayer again?

Ehehehe, that's not true. But actually, this year I turn eighteen! I'm so excited! July 1st will be the day I become an adult!(jumps for joy)

Kaz: Actually, 21 is the age considered to be adult.

(falls from her happy cloud and lands on her butt) ...Shut up, Kaz.

Anyway!

CHAPTAH!

STARTO!

* * *

"Man, that was complete and total genius! And Chaor didn't cream you afterwards, either! Kaz, you are one crazy brother, you know that?" Riley, Kaz, and Ivan were munching on pizza, as Kaz regaled the story of how he had helped Chaor defeat Van Bloot.

"Boy Kaz, you sure are brave. If I ever faced down Chaor and had to tell him what to do, I'd faint!" The small brunette said smiling. Riley grinned as he mussed up Ivan's hair to the point that it stood up straight like a mohawk.

"That's why you're the shy, introverted lady-killer, kid." Ivan scowled and swatted the dark-skinned boy's hand away, smoothing down his hair. "By the way, where's your brother at? He should be here by now, right?" Ivan shrugged, not really caring about it. He was used to his brother running off all the time, and since he had friends to hang out with, Ivan never felt like he was alone.

"BugBoy! Sweet match yesterday, mah man! Mipedian Madness is runnin' wild!" Ivan perked up, and turned in his seat to see his brother walking around and greeting his various friends. The blue-eyed boy smiled at the warm, energetic grin on Peyton, knowing what it felt like to have so many people who liked talking to you. Kaz rolled his eyes and got up, Riley following suit, and Ivan was up last, as they walked towards the large boy.

"Well, if it isn't ChaoticCutie herself." Ivan tried not to giggle as the blond girl Peyton was referring to laughed and greeted him back. His brother knew how to charm, which was more than what Ivan was capable of. "Haven't seen you since that mujical night we met in the Glumec Swamp." She giggled even more, blushing and smiling. "You got my number." Peyton said, holding his fingers in the shape one would use to symbolize a phone. "Use it! Soon." Ivan rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"If he were any smoother, he'd be slipping on his own feet." Riley muttered, which made Ivan and Kaz titter silently. The red-head decided to spare anyone else from Peyton's compliment rampage, and called out to his friend.

"Hey Peyton!" When the brunette looked over, Ivan saw the mean girl, Krystella, sitting at the table just in front of his brother. "You gotta come check out my new cards!"

Peyton smiled. "I'm coming right atcha, Kazzarino. OW!" Ivan couldn't help but snort at the nickname. Peyton began to walk forward, when IT happened.

IT being that Krystella stuck her foot out, tripping the brunette and consequently causing his drink to fly up and land on his head, drenching him. He glowered at her as she stood smirking at him.

"Oh, what happened Peyton? Trip over your ego?" He stood scowling, and Ivan gulped, even as the crowd called out 'Oooh.'

"Uh, no Krystella. It must've been your broomstick!" He shot back, the crowd catcalling at the comeback.

"Nice. You see a powerful woman, and you think 'WITCH!'. Well, I see a testosterone-challenged, self-deluded, grade A GEEK! With less than zero fashion sense, acting like he knows everybody and everything. And I think, this is your typical, all-mouth, no brain male!" The crowd catcalled again, and Ivan felt cold pass through him as he realized that this was about to dissolve into a fight. He started forward at the time Kaz did, grabbing onto his brother's arm.

"Okay, show's over, nothing to see here!" The red-head tried, as Riley made shooing motions to the crowd. Ivan whimpered quietly.

"Did you hear what she- Lemme at her, Kaz! I can't let her insult my mother like that!" Ivan almos let go in confusion; when had their mom been included in the tirade? Kaz rolled his eyes, pulling back on the muscular arm he had hold of.

"Peyton, she didn't insult your mother." The red-head whispered quietly. Riley was now flailing his arms in the background, trying in vain to make people disperse, with no luck what-so-ever.

"If my mom heard what she said, believe me she'd be insulted!" Peyton growled, rearing against the two holding him back.

"Forget it, Peyton. She's not worth fighting. Let's just forget it and get going." Ivan nodded, trying to make his brother turn away.

"Yeah bro, you shouldn't let people get to you like this. We promised we'd go Scanning today." Ivan uttered, tugging hard on his brother's shirt. Peyton felt his anger drain away when he looked at Ivan. His little brother, who he was supposed to be setting an example for. He turned and they began to walk away.

Krystella was not one to let things slide, though. "Well, look at that. Walking away, how typical of a guy. Even better that your little brother has you wrapped around his finger." Peyton whirled about so fast, Ivan clutched to his arm to keep from falling over.

"You. Do not. Insult. MY BROTHER!" Peyton raged, starting forward. Ivan darted in front of him, face turning red.

"Peyton, STOP!" The older boy halted, his eyes wide. "You told me you'd never fight in anger ever again! Remember?" Ivan lunged at Peyton, wrapping his arms around his brother to anchor him down. "Don't fight angry, right? Don't fight angry." Peyton stared for a moment, before bringing his hand down on Ivan's head and ruffling the brown and green colored locks.

"I'm not fighting in anger." His gaze grew hard as he looked back up at Krystella. "I'm fighting for pride." Ivan was frozen for a few seconds, then as Peyton walked forward, Ivan burst into tears and ran off. Peyton turned in alarm, but Riley waved him off and took off after the younger Ronelli sibling. Peyton turned back to Krystella, fire in his eyes.

TITITITITITITIT

"Um guys, why did I just pass by Ivan, who was crying, and had chocolate smeared on his face?" Tom asked as soon as he found Kaz and Sarah. They were sitting just behind an enormous crowd, who were wildly cheering for the fight on screen.

"Peyton and Krystella had a cat fight, Ivan told Peyton not to fall for it, he did, and Ivan ran off crying." Kaz explained hurriedly. "Riley found the best way to calm Ivan down was chocolate and candy." Tom nodded, watching the small boy weep in the corner.

They watched as Krystella, who had morphed into a creature that resembled a fairy though a bit more beastly, and Peyton, who had turned into an ogre, duked it out. Peyton won the first match, just as Tom had come walking up. The next match was Takinom versus another ogre-esque creature. The pattern repeated, Krystella won, then Peyton, then back and forth.

"Oh man. I never realized how strong the girl creatures could be!" Tom exclaimed, watching as Krystella's creature darted between attacks. Sarah turned on him.

"What's that supposed to mean, huh? Did you think girls were weaker than guys?" Tom gave her a blank look.

"Sarah, my mom throws the mailman over her shoulder when he's late delivering her Better Homes monthly. There is no way I could even BE convinced that girls were weak." Sarah had the most incredulous look on her face, until Kaz piped in.

"Yeah she did it this morning before school. He went sailing right over the rose bushes." Sarah smirked, though she tried to hide.

"Besides, my mom was the one who trained me after my accident. I learned all my moves from her, so there's that as well." Tom turned away, his mother's face appearing in his mind. _'My okaa-san was the only one who wanted to, anyway. No one wanted to teach a blind kid how to fight, but she insisted that I could do it_.' He was brought back to reality by a wild cheer.

He was confused by the commotion, until a beautiful Creature, who resembled part woman, part tiger, emerged on screen. There were dreamy sighes from all over, and even Ivan gasped at the female's beauty as he came over, Riley gaping with a dropped jaw at the screen.

"Who is that?" Tom asked, his voice hushed by the silence that had erupted over the room. Sarah cut through the fog, rolling her eyes at the expressions on their faces.

"That's Intress, one of the fastest, smartest, toughest Creatures in Perim!" They watched as she darted through the rainy jungle, her ears flicking one way then another. Ivan gasped.

"I've heard of her. She's one of the OverWorld three! Najarin, Maxxor, and Intress! They're the strongest of the OverWorlders, ever!" Riley gaped at him, then turned back towards the screen. They watched as a giant blue wolf riding a skeleton horse came charging through the undergrowth, straight at Intress. She jumped far into the air, and screeched so loud it created a sonic wave that threw the blue wolf from the saddle.

"Woah! That was amazing! Just how powerful is Intress?" Tom muttered, his eyes practically glued to the screen. Sarah smiled, she definitely preferred Tom's view of this battle. Instead of focusing on the gender of the Creature, he was interested instead by their stats.

"Very powerful. Like Ivan said, she's known as one of the OverWorld Three. In fact, if not for her, there'd be a lot less OverWorlders right now." That certainly caught Tom's attention. He, Ivan, and Riley all looked at her in confusion.

"I understand that she's powerful, but what do you mean that, Sarah-chan?" Tom asked, fiddling with his goggles. She rolled her eyes.

"Well, obviously you heard about Intress and the Passage, right?" The response she got was a confused stare and a shake of the head. Ivan shyly raised his hand.

"I know it." Sarah smiled at him, trying to make him feel comfortable; she had seen how Peyton was just before the match, looking all over for the boy. Siblings had a bond unlike any other.

"If you do, then why don't you tell us what you know?" Anyone who knew him knew that Ivan loved to tell everything he knew on a subject. Ivan perked up, smiling as he launched into the story.

"Well...everyone knows about the Passage, right? The stairway in the volcanic crater that connects the UnderWorld and OverWorld together. The OverWorlders guard the top, while the UnderWorlders guard the bottom. One day Intress went on guard duty, but found something unexpected..."

[[[[Flashback]]]]

Intress walked into the mouth of the cave, her eyes sweeping for any sign of her fellow OverWorlder. She sniffed the air for a few seconds.

"Zalig? Are you sleeping on the job again?" She called humorously. She walked forward a bit, before her eyes rested on a scorch mark on the wall. A fresh scorch mark. "Zalig!" She darted forward, running her hand over the mark, feeling the still-fading heat. "Still warm..." A loud, ominous sounding roar grabbed her attention.

"Zelvar..." A brutal UnderWorlder, with an even worse temper. She darted back out, and proceeded to jump straight down into the stairwell. She landed quickly, just as a pained shout echoed up from the lower levels.

"Zalig!" She unsheathed her claws, and leapt down again. She found herself looking down at two UnderWorlders, a bug-like warrior and a large blue wolf-like creature, both whom were attacking Zalig with heat blasts. He collapsed against the wall behind him, and Intress felt her blood boil.

"You UnderWorlders never fight fair, do you?" Zalig groaned as he attempted to get back up. The blue wolf grinned as they advanced on the injured Zalig.

"Heh, we're at WAR. Everything's fair." Intress leapt and screeched as they powered up for a last attack. They looked up as she was about to land on top of them, and began to fire at her instead.

She dodged the fire blasts and sent a torrent of water at them, which ended up hitting the bug-creature, who was sent back over the cliff. If not for his extra hands, he would've fallen straight down back into the UnderWorld. She landed in front of the wolf, who turned to her grinning.

"You're not bad, but I'm SMOKIN'!" He quipped, breathing a thick fog of gray smoke at her. She leapt upwards, out of reach, and came back down as the fog faded.

"That was hot...This is cool!" She said, rearing back for an attack. "FROST BLIGHT!" A wave of intense cold shot forth from her mouth, knocking him backwards off the cliff. She scurried up to the edge and looked down to see him just barely hanging on.

"Next stop, the UnderWorld." She was about to strike him off the rock face, when the bug creature called out to her.

"CAREFUL, LADY!" She turned to see him, and Zalig who hung from his claws over the side of the cliff. "Unless you wanna take that trip too." He called out the other. "Zelvar! You alright?"

Zelvar, who grip loosened a bit and had him sliding down, growled. "I've been better."

Zalphar roared at Intress. "Help him up! Or your friend goes down." Zalig struggled uselessly in Zalphar's grip, and Intress knew she had to make a choice.

She let her hand hang down, and several vines extended from her fingertips. They wrapped around Zelvar's arm, pulling him upwards. She dragged him up and over the edge, then turned to Zalphar with a snarl.

"There. Now, let Zalig go." Wrong thing to say.

"If you say so." Zalphar released the energy-arm that held up the OverWorlder, and Zalig went plummeting down with a scream.

"NO!" Intress shouted. She kicked Zelvar away and dove off of the cliff after Zalig. She faintly heard Zalphar crow in victory. But all of her focus needed to be on Zalig. She speed downwards, and threw her hand out towards him. "Vine Snare." The tendrils from before shot out, wrapping about Zalig and catching him. She then shot her other hand to a rock jutting out of the face of the cliff, and used it to pull them back up. She pulled up Zalig and roll him over, face up.

"Come on Zalig. You've been through worse than this." He did not wake up. Intress panicked. She pulled out a blue, seven-sided ring, and let her power flow into it. "Song of Resurgence. Restore Zalig!" The tune of the mujic sounded, Bu-Be-Ba-Be-Bu-Be-Ba, and a pillar of pink-red light surrounded the warrior. He drifted back down as he regained conciousness.

"What happened?" He questioned in an out-of-breath tone.

"Zelvar and Therax ambushed you. They're targeting the tower. If they get control of it, they'll get control of the passage. You're in no shape to battle them. But I've got to." She stood, but Zalig held her back.

"No, Intress. You can't do this alone." She gently pulled her arm free, smiling at him.

"Don't worry." She said jumping upwards into the air, landing on the stair steps. "I always land on my feet." With that, she took off towards the top. She caught up in no time to them, Therax hovering over the edge and calling downwards, listening to the echoes. She felt a small bit of annoyance flicker through her at their conversation.

"Would you stop that!" Zelvar growled, glaring at the bug-creature. Therax glowered back.

"Why should I? Who's gonna hear me, Intress?" The blue wolf creature rolled his eyes and went back to climbing. Therax called out again.

"Hello~~~~." He did not expect to have Intress pop out from under the ledge, say 'Hi', or proceed to Flash-Warm him to the floor. All three of these things happened, though. Zelvar turned around with a snarl, just before she did the same to him, landing on the other side of the stairway.

"You hurt my friend. Very bad idea." She said, stalking towards them on all fours, snarling when she got close to Therax, who panicked. Without warning, stone began to drop down on top of them, and Intress skittered back to avoid beng crushed. Zelvar laughed.

"Here come _our_ friends." Intress looked back, jumped, and was blasted forward by an explosion. A giant, metal, spider-looking machine rose from the smoke. It aimed at her, and fired. When the dust cleared, Intress was no where to be seen.

"Heh, that's _one_ way to skin a cat." The driver of the machine, a yellow and fat UnderWorlder, cawed in delight. Intress was actually just under his nose - under the machine, specifically. She had leapt forward and darted under the machine, sinking her claws deep into the metal. She watched Zelvar and Therax were freed, and climbed aboard the machine. She rode it upwards and watched as the tower was destroyed, listening as Chaor's voice sounded over the din, roaring about a sneak-attack that would fell the OverWorld forces.

'Okay Intress. Time to gut this big bug.' She leapt up onto the back leg, and aimed at the back of the machine. "ROCK WAVE!" The attack sent a wave of stone jutting out from the cliff, which the spider-walker simply climbed over. Intress felt a wave of panic run through her. She jumped away, and spun several yardsof Vine Snare around the leg, chaining it to the rock. She leapt towards another rock and did the same, looking up only when she heard Zelvar exclaim.

"Intress? IMPOSSIBLE!" She darted off the machine, ensnaring another leg. A screechy hatch opened behind her, and Zelvar's voice called out a threat. "Time to de-claw this kitty." She spun round with a growl, just as they both cried out "FLAME ORB!" sending twin flames at her.

She darted out of the way, landing in front of a leg, which wobbled when hit by the flames. She snuck past them, to a nearby safe spot.

"Two guys against one little girl? It hardly seems fair." She heard Zelvar say. It caused the irritation from before to come storming back. She peeked out from the side of the machine.

"You're right." They gasped in surprise upon seeing her. "Next time, bring more." She leapt onto the rock face, and turned towards the underbelly of the machine. "RUSTOXIC!" She yelled, breathing a dark red smoke at them, causing a layer of rust to form over their bodies, rendering them immobile. She jumped up, up, up, and turned to face down the metal monster. She yelled as she sent a powerful Rock Wave down the cliff, knocking the machine off. The creature driving it screamed as they all fell.

Intress watched, waiting until a faint boom signaled that they had landed, then began to jump down until she spotted Zalig coming up the stairs. He watched as she landed beside him.

"What in the OverWorld was that?" Intress took one last look down into the dark, before smirking.

"Boys and their toys." Came the catty remark.

[[[Back to the present]]]

"And that's the famous story of Intress." Ivan finshed, the crowd around their table bursting into applause. Tom was gaping widely, and his mouth clicked shut.

"Wow. To think that Intress is so powerful...I need to add her to my deck fast! Sarah, I don't suppose you know where I can get one do you?" The blond smiled, twirling the straw in her drink around. Kaz smirked.

"Well, Intress is pretty cool, but Takinom's better." Everyone at the table rolled their eyes. Sarah pointed towards the screen.

"Look!" Intress was running fast through the jungle, leaping off a cliff, and landed hard in the mud. Zelvar was riding the skeleton horse, which leapt after the tiger-female. Zelvar threw several bolts of blue-white flame at her, all of which missed. He then created a regular fireball, and held it while his eyes scanned for the female hunter.

Without warning, a rock caught the back of his head, causing him to turn and see Intress, smiling jauntily at him. He growled and ushered his horse forward towards her. She dodged by flipping upwards into the tree tops. He halted the horse, turning it around, and began lobbing fireballs at her as she jumped and somersaulted through the tree limbs.

She grinned, and without any hesitation several Vine Snares exploded from underneath them and incased the horses legs. Zelvar freaked.

"Frost Blight!" Intress chanted, the ice attack instantly freezing the UnderWorlder into a popsicle. Intress leapt up and sent one last wave of cold at Zelvar, exploding him into cold. The match ended, and the winer was revealed to be...

"PEYTON?" The crowd screamed in surprise. Ivan's jaw dropped, Riley dropped his slushie, and Sarah, Tom, and Kaz simply stared as the rest of the code disappeared, Peyton stretching his arms in victory. He began to address Krystella as the entire room tried to figure out when Peyton had become Intress.

"Well, Krystella, gotta hand it to you. That was one of the toughest matches I've ever been in." Tom began to snicker. "Not THE toughest, but tough. Congradulations! In my book, you're right up there." Kaz let his hands cover his face.

"Aw, thank you Peyton. And as far as I'm concerned, you're number one. On my enemies list." She sighed angrily, turning away. Peyton smirked.

"AAw, lemme file that. Under 'who cares?'!" The screen fizzled out, and the rest of the room was left in complete confusion. Ivan shook his head, eyes wide in puzzlement. He turned to Tom, who was grinning widely.

"I don't get it. Did the guys win, or did the girls?" Tom simply laughed.

* * *

**_READ AND REVIEW_**! Whew, long chapter this time. Hope everyone enjoys this, because next up we'll be seeng Tom kick butt with a codemaster! Next time in Battle Lessons! Oh, and the whole 'don't fight angry' thing will be explained later.


	9. Chapter 9: Battle Lessons!

Yes I'm kinda being lazy but seriously I don't care at this point =_=

Chapter

Starto!

* * *

Ivan sighed, peering around the corner of the wall to glance at Tom, who sat cross-legged on the bench staring at his scanner. The older boy had come to Chaotic for nearly three days in a row, walking to the benches outside the Port-Court, and simply staring at the piece of tech as though it held all the answers he needed.

_'Poor Tom...Without his Maxxor, he just sits there, ignoring everyone. I wish I could help_...' Ivan thought moodily. Then, an idea popped into his head. A dangerous, stupid, what-the-fuck-are-you-crazy idea, but an idea nonetheless.

_Why not just go get Tom a scan of Maxxor yourself?_

_'BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO DIE_!' Ivan knew how Creatures would react if he was caught in Kiru City, and even worse would be if Maxxor refused. Ivan took another look around the corner.

SIGH.

_'Oh, why do I have such a bleeding heart streak_?' Ivan thought, wishing that the voice telling him it was a good idea sounded more like Peyton, and less like him.

"KAZ!" The red-head was happily chatting away with Peyton and Sarah, who all looked over as the smaller brunette ran towards them, tripped, and went face-first into the floor.

"Uh bro. Pretty sure the floor ain't looking for a date." Peyton joked. Ivan peeled his face off the tile, and launched himself at Kaz.

"Kaz-I-need-a-scan-of-Kiru-City-right-this-moment!" He said so quickly they barely understood him. Then, shaking his head, Kaz deciphered the message and held out his Scanner in confusion.

"Uh, here then. One Scan of Kiru City for, uh, your Ozlai Scan." The transaction was quick, and the next second Ivan was scurrying off towards the porters. The three stood in shock, until Sarah blinked.

"Uh, did you just give Peyton's little brother a Scan of Kiru City? As in, the one place in the OverWorld where players are attacked on sight?" Kaz felt a chill shoot up his spine as he turned to Peyton, who just shrugged.

"Well, if he wants to go there, he knows what to do, obviously. Little dude needs his own mantra." Peyton proceeded to walk over as Tom entered, sitting at a lone table by himself.

[[[At the teleporters]]]

Ivan scrolled through the cards, searching for the Kiru City Kaz had just given him, when a slithery voice crept into his ear.

"Hey baby." Everyone within thirty feet turned around at the scream, then THUD!, that emanated from the porters. Ron was knocked out at Ivan's feet, the brunette rose-red in the face. A few moments later, it was no longer interesting.

"Ron! What the sprock were you doing so close to me?" Ivan said with a scowl as the other boy got to his feet.

"What, I can't greet my boyfriend?" Ivan was about to start ranting and screaming about the non-existant relationship, when Ron cut him off. "By the way, why are you going to Kiru City in the middle of the day? You realize there are tons of guards there, worse than Mudeenu's troops?" Ivan paled, and lowered his face.

"I...I have to. I have to Scan Maxxor for Tom. He's always so sad now, and I want him to be happy again." Ron had a blank expression, until he looped his arm around the brunette's neck.

"Well! As it so happens, I have nothing to do, and extensive knowledge of the hiding places in Kiru City. So, we'll work together to get that Scan!" Ivan gave him a suspiscious look.

"Why would you help me?" Ron wagged his finger.

"Because, boyfriends do nice things for their boyfriends, and because Tom is my friend as much as yours, it makes sense to do something nice for him, don'tcha think?" Confused, and agitated, by the other boy's logic, Ivan sinply closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

[[[Back in the Port-Court]]]

"Tom is having a really bad streak lately." Kaz noted as he watched Dractyl attempt to outfly Takinom. They weaved through the clouds, darting and dodging like a game of hide-and-seek.

"You can'y outrun me, turkey!" Takinom called after they emerged from the puffy cloud cover. Dractyl spared a moment to call back to her.

"Turkeys don't fly!" Which made Kaz snicker lightly.

They danced again, Takinom chasing Dractyl as they looped and spun. Takinom managed to fly under Dractyl, who was caught off guard by her. She began a volley of fireballs at him, two of which hit, making Dractyl fly upwards and turn around.

"WIND SLASH!" He crowed as a mini-tornado burst from his wings and slammed into the UnderWorlder. She fought against the force, but her wings gave out all too fast, and Takinom plummeted from view. Dractyl soared down, skimming the clouds for a moment.

'That's how you do it. Take control! Take command.' Tom thought nervously. Truth be told, he still wasn't sure if he could fight, let alone win, without Maxxor in his deck. Takinom popped up from the clouds, startling the OverWorlder out of his thoughts.

"You may not be a turkey, but you're gonna be a roast chicken! FIRE TORCH!" Several whirls of fire swirled around her hand, creating a fireball which was shot at Dractyl. It turned into a vortex of fire, which spun over Dractyl threatening to cook him alive.

'Not again! I can't lose again!' Dractyl focused, and aimed straight down. "HAIL STORM!" A brilliant white light shot out, cooling the fire in a ring shape that allowed Dractyl to dive through, out of the fire vortex. Takinom glowered at him.

"Smart move!" Dractyl smirked.

"Here's another one." He reared back. "CONFUSION!" The blast hit Takinom, who began to descend through the clouds in a panick. Dractyl smirked again, watching the clouds. 'Today's the day I break my losing streak!' Dractyl reared back again, and emitted a sonic screech that tore at Takinom through the clouds. The UnderWorlder seemed close to fainting, and Tom decided it was time to finish this battle.

"LIGHTNING BURST!" Bolts of electricity shot from his wing tips, striking Takinom with such ferocity that on-lookers wondered how she's held on. Dractyl began to dive towards her. "Yes! My luck's finally changing! Now I'll finsh off with INSANITY!" A pink ray of light burst from his forehead, but at the last second possible, Takinom rolled out of the way and shook off the electrocution. She glared at Dractyl.

"SMOKE SURGE!" A black cloud, thick as a nightmare, poured from her throat, engulfing Dractyl. He floated for a few seconds, trying to beat away the smoke with his wings, when a horrible pain erupted from his back - and suddenly he was frozen in place. Takinom laughed as she fly up behind him.

"That's a Pearl Eyes Attack, bird-brain!" She watched as the now-frozen Dractyl began to fall towards the ground. "But don't worry! I won't let you crash. LAVA-LANCH!" A column of fire brust from her claws, hitting Dractyl hard enough to code him.

After stumbling out of the Drome, with some help of his opponent, Tom made his way into the PortCourt, and after scanning the crowd for his friends, made his way over and collapsed into a chair. He sighed, feeling like the lowest rock in a pile of mud, when Peyton put his hand on the Asian boy's shoulder.

"It's a temporary slump, dude. Keyword: Temporary. Just need to get your confidence back, get ya mojo flowin'!" Tom felt his lips twitch up in amusement, but the loss still weighed heavy in his mind, and the frown went back in place.

"What mojo? I haven't one a single match since I lost my Maxxor card." Sarah rolled her eyes in frustration.

"It's not the cards, Tom, it's the player. You won a match with Bodal, remember?" Tom felt his mood slightly pick up again. Bodal was a small green OverWorlder with very bad stats, and even worse attitude. But, he had turned out invaluable to Tom, especially in the match he had fought, and the real Bodal and him had settled into a rocky friendship which consisted of him doing errands on occasion for the bossy OverWorlder in exchange for powerful Battle Gear in the Armory. Not as pleasant as the way Najaryn regarded him, at least; the Mugician seemed to be relaxed with him around. Tom could still feel the web he had been caught in on his hands, the feeling of helplessness as the UnderWorlder bore down on him, only to be scared away by Bodal misfiring.

"Sarah's right. And what about all those other wins you racked up in the CrellanDrome? You must be pretty close to a CodeMaster Match." Tom took about three seconds to let the words sink in.

"A what?" There were grins all around, until they realized he wasn't joking. The humored expressions were quickly replaced by disbelief.

"He's joking right? You're joking right?" Sarah quickly interrogated, her expression warping into anger. Peyton chimed after her.

"Kaz, you never told him about CodeMaster Matches?" Kaz put his hands in defense.

"I thought he KNEW about CodeMaster Matches." The red-head seemed irritated by the fact that his friend had no knowledge of such a thing. Though Tom was quickly becoming MORE agitated by the subject.

"I can't believe he doesn't know about CodeMaster Matches!" Sarah said, gritting her teeth in annoyance.

"Everybody knows about CodeMaster Matches." Kaz said with a logical tone, as though they no longer registered that Tom was there, and growing more impatient by the second.

"How could he not know about-" Peyton began in a laighing voice, before Tom cut him off by jumping to his feet and shouting.

"TELL ME ABOUT CODEMASTER MATCHES!" And plopped back down into his seat. They stood awkwardly, before turning and rushing to explain.

"When you get seven wins in a Drome, you can automatically challenge the CodeMaster of that Drome to a match." Kaz explained with a grin. Sarah chimed in then.

"And sometimes a CodeMaster challenges a player to a match!"

Tom felt his mood begin to lift. "That's pretty cool! Did you guys ever have a CodeMaster Match?" Peyton was the first to chime in.

"I got called out by Imthor." His face scrunched, like he'd swallowed something bitter. "Dude waxed me with this totally knarly looking I-don't-know-what." Peyton seemed to shiver, as though remembering exactly what it was.

Kaz was next, grinning ecstatically. "When I battled CodeMaster Ansem, she had this totally sweet piece of BatttleGear I'd never seen before! Turned me into a shock absorber!" Tom tried to imagine what kind of weapon could do such a thing.

Sarah was last, and she seemed none too happy about reliving her loss. "That's nothing compared to the attacks they can do. I'm still dizzy from my match against CodeMaster Chirrul." She had this faraway look in hr eyes, and it wasn't pleasant.

Tom felt sympathetic towards his friends. "So the CodeMasters are pretty good." _That might be a problem_, he mentally told himself. Peyton gave a snort.

"Dude, they're MASTERS." The matter-of-fact way Peyton said that made Tom's spirit start to fall again. "But they're not invincible or anything." Huh? "And, if you win, they give you a scan of one of they're freaky locations. Places that are, like, impossible to get to."

Sarah chimed in. "PLaces only the CodeMasters know about." Kaz began to flail his arms around, the way he usually did when he was excited.

"So you transport there, scan all the new Creatures and Gear and Mujic you can, and have a better chance when you battle the next CodeMaster! Isn't that cool?" Tom felt that happy bubble inside him pop.

"Yeah. Only now I'm really depressed." He stood, his hands going into his pockets. "Without Maxxor, I'll never win against a CodeMaster." Kaz followed the other as he walked off. He knew how Tom was when he was upset.

"C'mon Tom, don't be bummed! Let's go trade somebody for a couple of new Location Codes and scan something cool." Tom looked back at the red-head, and Kaz knew that look anywhere.

"Sorry. I just want to be by myself for a while." With that, he walked off, leaving three sad friends behind.

* * *

Tom's P.O.V.

I wound up in Rock River Canyon. I didn't know how, nor have I ever recalled what took me there, but I found myself walking along the bottom, skipping rocks as I found them. I picked up one and held it as I contemplated what my friends had said. I threw the rock far.

'_I_ _gotta get back into the game. Maxxor, or no Maxxor. I gotta get out of this slump_!' I kicked at a stone by my foot. It tumbled a bit, and when it stopped I picked it up and held it a moment. _'But, what if Sarah's wrong? What if it's really the cards, and not the player?_' I hurled the rock as far as I could, watching it hit the water with a splash. Somehow, it almost felt like I was throwing a part of myself away, like all my negativity was being transferred to the stone. I felt compelled to throw another rock, but as I wound my arm back to throw, a shadow caught the corner of my eye. I ignored it at first, hinking my mind was playing tricks on me, but then debris fell on my hand. Debris only comes loose when there's something to dislodge it. I turned and watched as a lone figure made its way up over the rocks, climbing slowly and carefully.

"Maxxor?" My voice was loud, and echoed in the canyon, startling the figure into running. I gave chase, climbing with difficulty, and climbed up after it.

My hopes were high, but even so, a small part of me was doubtful it was Maxxor I was chasing.

* * *

Ivan's P.O.V.

I held my breath as a guard, who looked like a crocodile, passed by the tent Ron and I were hiding in. He stopped, scratched his head, then moved on. I let the air slowly release from my lungs.

"Dang, if we get caught by the guards, we're screwed." Ron muttered as he watched through a hole in the tent. I agreed silently. Never mind the fact we were sneaking into Kiru City during the day, we were sneaking into Kiru City during the day to scan Maxxor, lord of the OverWorlders. I imagined us being coded by beheadment. Wait, did OverWorlders even use beheadings? Ron turned to me mid-ponderment.

"Alright, here's how it goes. The minute the guard turns his back, we run over to the Armory window and slip through." I looked through a hole in the tent at the hole in the wall that served as a window. Iron bars decorated it. "When I give the signal, run." I nodded. We waited until the next guard came by, stopped, then continued. Once he turned the corner, we darted out from the tent and up to the window. Ron boosted me up first, and once I was through I held his wrists as he climbed up and in. We took a look around, breathing hard but quiet.

"We're in." He nodded, then froze as a humming alerted us to another person. I dove behind a shelf blasters, while Ron went behind a bookcase. The humming grew louder, and when a green Creature emerged from the doorway I sighed in relief. It was Bodal, an OverWorlder that Tom was friends with. He had very weak stats, but he was an extremely good strategist. He counted the blasters on the shelf I was hiding behind, murmured to himself, and walked over to another shelf. Ron wasn't as lucky; he sneezed and knocked the bookcase over, startling Bodal who grabbed and aimed an empty Plasma Bow at him.

"Who in the world are you?" Bodal demanded, threatening Ron with a weapon that didn't even work. I stepped up and out to help Ron.

"We mean you no harm." The bow was now aimed at me; crap. "We're friends of Tom, Mr. Bodal." He lowered the weapon, his gaze steely and suspicious.

"Tom? That human?" My blood burned at the tone he said the word 'human' in, but I calmed down.

"Mr. Bodal, we need your help. I need a Scan of Maxxor, but I don't know where he is. Could you help us find him?" Bodal 'ha-rumph!'-ed at us, and began to waddle away. I went to call for him to stop, when Ron held his arm in front of me.

"Don't bother Ivan. This guy's a joke. He says he knows about stuff, when he really has no clue where Maxxor is." My jaw dropped in shock, as did Bodal's; was Ron mental? Bodal stamped his feet huffily.

"I do too know where Maxxor is! He's in his study with-" Bodal cut himself off as he realized Ron's trick. Before he called for the guards, or decided to handle us himself, I placated him by rushing forward with my Scanner out.

"Mr. Bodal, would you mind if I scanned you? Afterall, Tom's always bragging about what a great strategist you are, and I'm always having trouble with strategy in my battles. I'd sure love it if I had a good, reliable Creature on my team." Try not to over-do it, Ivan, I mentally berated. But it turned out I had done the right amount, as Bodal stopped and rubbed his chin in thought. A closer look, though, and I saw he was preening.

"Well, I suppose it would be acceptable. After all, not many have the chance to Scan yours truly." I tried not to roll my eyes and remind him how it was between him and Tom, and Scanned him. His image appeared along with his stats.

"By the way. I don't suppose you know a totally awesome way into the castle?"

* * *

Tom's P.O.V.

I finally reached the top of the mesa, looking around at the flat land. There was nothing up here but dust clouds and tumbleweeds, one of which rolled past my leg. Wait. Since when did Perim have Old Western-type tumbleweeds? Before I could ponder this, a voice crying out 'Help me!' caught my attention. It came in the direction of the cliff, so I hurried towards it.

"Down here!" I looked down, and saw a person hanging off the tip of the cliff. He had dark brown hair and even darker eyes, which were dilated in fear. He wore a dark blue sweater and light gray slacks.

"I can't reach my Scanner! And I can't hold on much longer!" As though to prove it, his fingers slid a little, gouges in the rock clear from where he had previously held on. I saw that his Scanner was clipped onto his belt. If he tried reaching for it, he'd fall before he could port out. I got on my stomach and dug the tips of my feet into the ground, reaching my hand out.

"Okay, grab on and don't let go!" He reached for me - only to slip. My hand shot out fast, and latched onto his wrist, and for a moment his body swung violently as he dangled. I used the momentum of his swinging to pulling him back up over the edge. We collapsed on the ground, him on his stomach and me on my back. After catching our breath, we turned each other and grinned, the kind of grin you make when you've just out-foxed death.

A little while later, we were sitting around a fire he had built Kit, as he was called, broke more sticks and tossed them in.

"You lost your Maxxor in a Challenge match?" Kit was nice, his tone soft and not too over-dramatic. I looked up at the sky, seeing the stars above my head, and once again marveled at how similar Perim and Earth could be.

"It was to help a friend, but yeah. Even so, I think CodeMasters tend to look down on Challenge matches, so don't say anything about it, okay?" Kit smiled, relaxing into the dirt like it was the comfiest bedding.

"Your secret's safe with me." He responded. I fiddled a bit with my hair, which was now long enough that I was going to have to cut it or let it be caught in something. Preferably the none-too-painful way.

"I don't know what to do though. I haven't won a single match since I lost Maxxor." Kit gave me a look, though it was lessened by his smile.

"It's not the cards, Tom. It's the player." My eye twitched.

"You sound just like my friends." His mouth formed a smirk.

"Maybe because they're right." I turned away from him, staring out at the canyon. After a second's pause, I turned back to face him.

"What about in a CodeMaster Match?" He pulled out a stick with a tiny flame on the end, and just stared at it with a gentle expression in his eyes.

"Especially in a CodeMaster Match." He twisted the stick, seeming to make the spark dance. I smiled back.

"Have you had a lot of CodeMaster battles?" He gave me a stare, as though he was studying me.

"I've had my fair share." He blew out the spark with a puff of breath. I felt my smile drop.

"I just found out I might be battling CodeMaster Crellan soon. And to tell you the truth, I'm kinda scared." I buried my face in my knees. "I haven't won once since that day, and I'm scared that if I go up against the CodeMaster, I'll lose it completely."

Kit sank back on his elbows, watching me with a sad expression. Then, it perked up. "I might not be able to tell you how exactly to battle a CodeMaster. But I can give you a few pointers."

I sat up with a blank face.

* * *

Ivan's P.O.V.

"Well, here we are. That door leads into Maxxor's study." Bodal said as Ron and I knelt beside him. We were currently inside a vent, Ron and I on our knees,while Bodal was able to stand, peering into a hallway in the castle. When first shown the vent, Ron turned to me and said 'I call being James Bond!' At which I punched him in the arm. Several times.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Bodal. I'll tell Tom you said hi." I said, smiling at the OverWorlder. He blinked slowly, the familiar condescending look on his face.

"I didn't." With that he began to hobble back down the vent, and Ron scowled at him.

"What is that guy's problem?" I sighed.

"Ron, just imagine it. Bodal's locked up in the Armory for days on end, and his only visitors are battle-thirsty warriors. What kind of social skills would you have if that was your whole life?" Ron looked at me in bewilderment.

"Do you make excuses for everyone, or are you just that blind to any bad side a person might have?" I turned with a sneering smirk.

"I wish I couldn't see your bad side." He had no time to retort as a pair of feet suddenly stood in front of the vent. Guards... Had to be effing guards.

"Shit! We're in trouble. How are we going to get in now?" I was panicking, we had come so close! Ron was staring out into the hallway, then back into the vent where we had come from, then back out with a grin. He put a hand on my shoulder.

"I think it's time to run decoy bait again." It took a moment for the words to sink in, but when they did it took all my willpower not to strangle him right then and there.

"No. No, no, no! Ron, you are not pulling the same stunt you did back in Iflaar's castle!" Ron gave me a serious look, for once.

"Think about it Ivan. You're the one who needs that Scan. And I only tagged along to protect you, and if that means being a distraction again so you can slip in and get that Scan, then dammit I will!" I was so stunned by his words that I didn't even fight him when he pressed his lips to mine. He drew away with a smile.

"Besides, I consider that my payment in advance." He crawled backwards and into a side vent. I sat there, hunched over in a vent, my lips still tingling and my face red, breathing hard. A few moments later, he appeared in the hallway, winking at the vent cover.

"I CHALLENGE YOU TO A CHILDREN'S CARD GAME!" He bellowed at the guards, who proceeded to chase from sight. I kicked the vent cover open, not caring about being subtle anymore, and darted over to the door, I wrenched it open, threw myself inside, and flung the door shut, not facing the room. In retrospect, that was probably a bad idea.

"Who are you, child?"

* * *

Tom's P.O.V.

I followed Kit to the Beta-Dromes, a collection of Dromes all built like a motel, but best of all, these Dromes were not broadcast to the Port-Court. The battles were completely in secret, perfect for newbies or for Challenge matches. We walked up to the podiums and docked our Scanners.

"Alright, pick your six Creatures." Kit said, as he began to scroll through his own deck. I scanned my cards, trying to decide on my team.

'_I_ _don't know anything about this guy, or how he plays_.' I looked through the screen at Kit, who was smiling as he clicked away at his own screen. It was just a tad bit creepy. _'He was in the Rock River Canyon, so I bet he has OverWorld stuff_.' I began going through my Creatures. '_I'll_ _start off with Atalla, Steluk, and Xearv. I'm pretty solid with Dractyl, and Gespaden. And Tangath Tolborn to battle clean up_.' I scrolled through my BattleGear next. '_A_ _Vlaric Shard will pump up Gespaden's Earth attacks_.' I scrolled again, pausing. _'A Torwick will get Xearv off the ground, and boost his Air attacks._' I scrolled again. '_A_ _Cycle-Lance for Steluk_.' Several more scrolls. _'And Tangath Tolborn can mix it up with the Sword of Kayat_.' I put my hand on the Mujic scroll, when a spark shot up my arm, and one of my Mujics appeared. _'Song of Healing? I guess that'll come in handy_.' I put my hand down again, but no spark this time. I scrolled. _'Song of Geonova would be good offense_.' When the next one showed up, I immediately grabbed it. _'Song of Future Sight? Sure, whatever floats your boat_.' Somehow, I noticed, when I played in the Dromes it was like my cards were giving me advice as to which I should use. Considering the other freaky stuff that'd happened so far, I shrugged it off and accepted it.

I didn't bother scrolling through the Locations, as I knew the ten already by heart. But as I was loading the Locations, I noticed Kit was staring at me again, in that creepy way of his. I didn't let it affect me.

"I'm ready." I said, locking my deck. His smile went back to polite and quiet.

"Me too." When his half of the field appeared, my jaw dropped.

"Only one Creature?" Kit smirked. "Look, maybe I'm missing something, but I can handle a six-on-six. If you're trying to be funny here-" I started, when Kit held up his hand for me to be silent.

"I know what you're capable of. But, can you handle..." He motioned to the Creature, who resembled some kind of prehistoric bear, "-Ursis?"

My head began to pound mercilessly as the voice shrieked _DANGER! DANGER! DANGER!_ at me over and over again. I resisted clutching my head and glared at Kit.

"I can handle whatever you throw at me." It came out as a growl, an angry, tempered, anxious growl, and for a second that startled Kit, whose smile dropped from sight for the first time since I met him. Then, it came back full-force, and I had the realization that he'd been expecting my response.

"Very well then, Tom." He spun the Location Randomizer, and when it landed my eyes went wide. 'Ursis attacks Steluk in Prexxor Chasm."

* * *

Ivan's P.O.V.

_Shit, shit, shit_! I mentally screamed as I slowly turned to face not just Maxxor, but Intress and Najaryn as well. My face went red when I realized they were staring at me with odd expressions.

"Sorry, I'll just-" I made to leave, when the door clicked, signaling that it had been locked. The only sound in my mind was that of a fire truck siren.

"Please, stay child. You made quite the effort in coming here." Najaryn was now hovering above me, and I slid to the ground in fear. "You are one of Thomas's acquaintances, are you not?"

My heart leapt. "Y-Yes sir, Mr. Najaryn sir." My blood pounded in my veins as I took in the round table Maxxor and Intress were sitting at, the white linen cloth, the-

"Is that tea?" My mouth blurted out. Najaryn gave me a surprised look, then swept his gaze towards the table, before letting it fall back to me.

"Yes. We were about to celebrate Maxxor's fifty-third attempt at storming my castle to try and bring me here. He failed, of course, but why waste good tea?" My jaw dropped, and I was pretty sure my brain had stopped working. Not only had I managed to sneak into the castle, not only did I manage to find Maxxor, but they were having tea time? I felt dizzy, and it showed when Najaryn helped me up. "Would you care for some?" Not trusting my mouth at the moment, I nodded.

[A few moments later...]

"I see. Tom has been quite a wreck since then, hasn't he?" Maxxor said quietly, slurping his tea. I nodded, holding my cup gingerly, absorbing the warmth from the liquid. I found my voice.

"That's why...That's why I need to Scan you, Lord Maxxor." I stared into my cup, seeing my reflection. "I want to help him... I owe him so much, after all. Ever since I came to Chaotic and met him, it's like everything got better in my life." I looked up, and wasn't surprised to see confusion in their expressions. "It used to be that, when I was younger, whenever I tried to make friends, I'd end up being too shy and nervous to do anything. I always hid behind my brother Peyton, because he's great at making friends. But when he moved away with Dad, my whole world turned upside down. I wouldn't eat, I'd sleep for hours on end, and be such a miserable wreck I couldn't go to school. But then I met Tom, and after I made friends with him I met Riley and Ruka and all the others, and it made me realize that everything got better because I wasn't shy or afraid anymore." I had started quiet, but by the end of my rant my voice was bold and strong. "But now everything's not good for Tom, and it's getting worse, and I want to do something, because..." My voice choked off, and I felt my eyes watering. "-because if I do it for someone else, that'll make it work somehow..." I rubbed at my eyes, sniffling.

The tock-tock-tock of something in the room was the only other sound in the room. When I finally pulled my arm away from my face, Maxxor was smiling at me. Not the _oh-what-a-sweet-boy-you-are_ smile, like adults give me, but an _I-know-what-you're-going-through_ smile, as if he truly understood.

"Ivan, you are definitely a friend of Tom's, I can see that." The thought made me smile. "But even if you Scan me, he won't accept it." My heart stopped.

"W-Wha?" He set his cup down quietly, staring straight at me.

"Ivan, Tom is the kind of person who prefers to become stronger on his own. And he will, as soon as he gets a metaphorical kick in the pants." I wish I could've stopped the giggle that escaped me at that moment. "When he finally gets his act together, he will seek me on his own. Make no doubt of that." He stood, and patted my head, as though I were a puppy. "But you proved that you are nearly as strong as he is. You were brave enough to come in here alone." I turned red.

"Er, actually sir, not exactly." At that moment, the doors flew open to reveal two guards who were carrying Ron. The idiot grinned and waved at me from the upside-down position they were holding him in. I smacked my forehead even as Maxxor shot me a bemused look.

"Care to explain?"

"Not really, no."

* * *

Tom's P.O.V.

I fell to my knees as soon as the Drome room appeared around us again. Without hesitating in the least bit, Kit had taken out my Steluk, Xearv, Gespaden, Dractyl, and Atalla, without missing a beat.

'_It's_..._impossible...He can't be beaten_...' I thought miserably, wishing that Kit would spontaneously combust.

"Are you ready, Tom?" Kit's voice floated over me, making my stomach churn in anger. I looked up at him.

"Why bother? You'll just beat me again. I'm tired of it." Kit's expression dropped from his smiling to a frown. At least it was a different take on him. I wonder...

"You'll never win with that attitude." I tried to bite back my retort, but all my control went flying out the window.

"I'll never win without Maxxor! Period!" How much would it take to push him over the edge? Not much, because he lost it and glared at me.

"That attitude won't win this match, Tom. Not against a CodeMaster." I was about to throw a snide remark in his face, when my brain finally caught up and spelled out what he said. My heart jumped.

"Kit...Who are you?" I asked slowly. He gave no answer, but instead he held up a card. The Drome began to glow, and I nearly toppled over from the rush of energy in my head.

_'A-Ah_...' The glow spread and weaved upward to the top, where it plummeted down on Kit. I looked away, fearing my head would literally explode, and when I managed to open my eyes and look at him, Kit no longer stood there; it was CodeMaster Crellan. A white robe, tall and imposing, and wing-shaped crests on both sides of his helmet.

"You're him...That's why..." I mumbled, staring at him with wide eyes. He nodded. "But, I don't understand."

He moved slightly, and the fins of his collar swayed gently. "Everyone must face a battle they are not prepared for. The challenges themselves are not important, Thomas Majors, but how we face them is." I was startled by his use of my full name, but was more shocked that all this time, Kit was the CodeMaster. That's why he'd been studying me so closely. He hadn't been trying to freak me out, he was analyzing my battling style! My mouth dropped open a bit, then pressed into a tiny smirk.

"I get it." I couldn't see his face, but I could tell he was smiling again, and that was enough for me. I got up, breathed deeply, and stared him right in the eye-er, mask. "Then let's get Chaotic, one more time."

We pressed our hands on our Scanners.

* * *

Regular P.O.V.

Kaz, Peyton, Sarah, Riley, Ruka, and Conny were all sitting at a table, worried about their friends, when both came strolling in at the same time. Both Tom and Ivan froze, staring at each other.

Tom opened his mouth first. "Well, I went to Rock River Canyon, saved a guy who turned out to be a CodeMaster, and got some sense beaten into me. You?" Ivan shrugged, a smile on his face.

"I snuck into Maxxor's castle, Scanned Bodal, and had tea with Maxxor, Najaryn, and Intress. You know, not much. Oh, hi guys!" He ended brightly, aware that they had heard everything. The occupants of the table simply stared with open maws as Ron suddenly ported in, looked around, and latched onto Ivan.

"Hi honey. Did you miss me?" Ivan raised his arm to swat at the other boy, paused, and sighed as his hand fell down.

"Whatever. I'm used to it now." Ron happily buried his face in Ivan's hair, not noticing the agitated look on Tom's face.

Riley blinked, turned to the others seated, and opened his mouth. "Man, we miss ALL the exciting stuff around here!"

The answer was Tom, Ron, and Ivan laughing as everyone else face-palmed.

* * *

Next one I swear is where I get back on track.


	10. Notice

So...I guess these stories are really that popular...Uhm...

Im...

I'm just barely still into some of these things by now but I need stff to do so I guess I could continue some...

I seem to be rooted on most for Cothica Destino, Loophole Love, Backards Spring, and Energon IVA

...I might as well update, ahaha...

WHY HAVE I NOT ESCAPED THIS PLACE?!

However, since my writing style's changed a lot, I'll be revamping the smaller stories... (I might give up on Cothica Destino actually) ...So it'll be a while before those go back up...

In the meantime, while I work on those, I'll be posting random stuff off my dA. If you like my stories, maybe you'll like my art too? I take commissions now so giving me a few commissions may help me stay on track ahaha.

I seriously didn't think I'd pop back on here and find eighty plus reviews on ANY of my stories, let alone my really old crappy stories. It...

Honestly makes me feel stalked. Don't you people have anything better to do? (I kid, I kid...)

...Thank you. I don't know why you all decided to leave such things as reviews but...it really makes me tear up a bit. I'll try to do my best.

Oh right. my deviantart is still forestchick501.


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